Spies and Holy Wars: The Middle East in 20th-Century Crime Fiction

Reeva Spector Simon

Published by University of Texas Press 2010

Spies and Holy Wars

The Middle East in 20th-Century Crime Fiction

Reeva Spector Simon

https://doi.org/10.7560/723009

Overview
Contents

About this book

Illuminating a powerful intersection between popular culture and global politics, Spies and Holy Wars draws on a sampling of more than eight hundred British and American thrillers that are propelled by the theme of jihad—an Islamic holy war or crusade against the West. Published over the past century, the books in this expansive study encompass spy novels and crime fiction, illustrating new connections between these genres and Western imperialism.

Demonstrating the social implications of the popularity of such books, Reeva Spector Simon covers how the Middle Eastern villain evolved from being the malleable victim before World War II to the international, techno-savvy figure in today's crime novels. She explores the impact of James Bond, pulp fiction, and comic books and also analyzes the ways in which world events shaped the genre, particularly in recent years. Worldwide terrorism and economic domination prevail as the most common sources of narrative tension in these works, while military "tech novels" restored the prestige of the American hero in the wake of post-Vietnam skepticism. Moving beyond stereotypes, Simon examines the relationships between publishing trends, political trends, and popular culture at large—giving voice to the previously unexamined truths that emerge from these provocative page-turners.

Author / Editor information

Reeva Spector Simon is Professor of History at Yeshiva University. She previously served as Associate Director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University and is the author of Iraq between the Two World Wars.

Reviews

For anyone who has a taste for either spy novels or the presentation of Middle Easterners in popular culture, this is a fascinating read.

— Richard Bulliet

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
One. Crime Fiction as Political Metaphor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Two. Spies and Holy War Jihad and World War I Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
Three. Holy War and Empire Fu Manchu in Cairo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
Four. The Publishing Explosion and James Bond Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
Five. Secular Jihad International Terrorism and Economic Destabilization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	68
Six. The American Crusade Against Terror Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	92
Seven. Jihad, the Apocalypse, and Back Again Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	110
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
Fiction Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Nonfiction Works Cited and Consulted Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 224

eBook

Published: September 30, 2010
ISBN: 9780292784666