This study provides a general outline of Palestinian population growth between 1948 and 1987 and then focuses on the town of Nablus for a detailed analysis of the main aspects of Palestinian migration and high rates of natural increase. The author shows how the recession that struck the Arab oil economies in the early 1980s, by slowing down the migratory movement, shut off the valve that had afforded the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza relief from economic pressures.
This study provides a general outline of Palestinian population growth between 1948 and 1987 and then focuses on the town of Nablus for a detailed analysis of the main aspects of Palestinian migration and high rates of natural increase. The author shows how the recession that struck the Arab oil economies in the early 1980s, by slowing down the migratory movement, shut off the valve that had afforded the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza relief from economic pressures.
In the spring of 1993, at the invitation of The Population Council, a small group of Middle East researchers representing different backgrounds and disciplines met in Cairo to discuss the ways in which the issues of population being debated on the global scene related to the current situation in the region. A period of intensive research and writing followed, and these efforts culminated in an international symposium entitled "Family, Gender, and Population Policy: International Debates and Middle Eastern Realities," convened in Cairo in early 1994. The essays in this book are revised versions of the presentations made at the symposium: they assess the interplay of economic, political, cultural, and demographic forces that shape the context of population policy in the region.
"Comprehensively and knowledgeably addresses uniquely modern dilemmas of urban places in the Middle East by bringing together an interdisciplinary group of scholars who have already made significant contributions . . . in their respective fields. . . . A very important volume."--Janet L. Bauer, Trinity College, Hartford "Makes a valuable addition to the literature. . . . Offers a wealth of diverse and original contributions on social and cultural issues of urban societies in the region."--Iliya Harik, Indiana University In the first substantial study of mounting urban problems in the Middle East, contributors present case studies of cities in Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, and Iran. In particular, they address problems of urban planning and administration (including historic preservation issues), poverty and marginalization, health and gender in the urban environment, and the impact of politics on the city, including the actions of Islamicist groups. The authors stress that Middle East cities are indeed in crisis; in a concluding chapter, Michael Bonine asks whether or not they are sustainable. CONTENTS 1. Population, Poverty, and Politics: Contemporary Middle East Cities in Crisis, by Michael E. Bonine Part I. Municipal Government, Urban Planning, and Conserving the Urban Past 2. Urbanization and Metropolitan Municipal Politics in Turkey, by Metin Heper 3. Ruptures in the Evolution of the Middle Eastern City: Amman, by Mohammad Al-Asad 4. Urban Conservation in the Old City of San Part II. Poverty and Marginalization in the Urban Middle East 5. Responding to Middle East Urban Poverty: The Informal Economy in Tunis, by Richard A. Lobban, Jr. 6. Devotion as Distinction, Piety as Power: Religious Revival and the Transformation of Space in the Illegal Settlements of Tunis, by Elizabeth Vasile 7. Muscat: Social Segregation and Comparative Poverty in the Expanding Capital of an Oil State, by Fred Scholz Part III. Health and Gender and the Urban Environment 8. The Crowded Metropolis: Health and Nutrition in Cairo, by Osman M. Galal and Gail G. Harrison 9. Population, Poverty, and Gender Politics: Motherhood Pressures and Marital Crises in the Lives of Poor Urban Egyptian Women, by Marcia C. Inhorn 10. Gender and Health: Abortion in Urban Egypt, by Sandra D. Lane Part IV. Islam and Politics: War, Revolution, and Protest in the Middle Eastern City 11. Urbanization and Political Instability in the Middle East, by Kirk S. Bowman and Jerrold D. Green 12. Urbanization, Migration, and Politics of Protest in Iran, by Farhad Kazemi and Lisa Reynolds Wolfe 13. Islam, Islamism, and Urbanization in Sudan: Contradictions and Complementaries, by John Obert Voll 14. The New Veiling and Urban Crisis: Symbolic Politics in Cairo, by Arlene Elowe MacLeod 15. Are Cities in the Middle East Sustainable? by Michael E. Bonine Michael E. Bonine is professor of geography and Near Eastern studies at the University of Arizona. Coeditor of Middle Eastern Cities and Islamic Urbanism (1994), he was executive director of the Middle East Studies Association from 1981 to 1989.
The main aim of the book is to provide a forum for opinions held by Arabs who are neither Western puppets nor fanatical nationalists or Islamists, but rather academics with a vast knowledge of the Middle East as well as of the West. The authors all support the building of a democratic secular Middle East, but their writings also show that although there is no easy way to achieve this goal, neither is there any excuse for not making the attempt. Contributors: Nader Fergany author of the Arab Human Development Reports; Raymond Hinnebusch professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics, University of St. Andrews; Yezid Sayigh consultant to the international donor community in Palestine; Samir Aita Syrian scholar and dissident; Graham Usher British journalist; Hanan Rabbani Palestinian consultant for Amnesty International; Mai Yamani (Saudi Arabia) research fellow with the Middle East Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House; Fowziyah Abu-Khalid Saudi sociologist; Amal Shlash Iraq; Huda Al-Nu'aimi Iraq; Jgen S. Nielsen Professor, director of the Danish Institute in Damascus.
Comparing demographic trends in Europe and the NAME-region (North Africa and the Middle East), this book demonstrates how population change interacts with changing economic landscapes, social distinctions and political realities. It also provides food for thought for those who are looking for a nuanced perspective on the background and future perspectives of demographic developments in Europe, for a discussion of recent demographic and political realities in the NAME countries, and for those who analyse the effects of contrasting demographic regimes on migration flows to and migration politics in Europe.
