Rule of Experts by Timothy Mitchell
Can one explain the power of global capitalism without attributing to capital a logic and coherence it does not have? Can one account for the powers of techno-science in terms that do not merely reproduce its own understanding of the world? "Rule of Experts" examines these questions through a series of interrelated essays focused on Egypt in the twentieth century. These explore the way malaria, sugar cane, war, and nationalism interacted to produce the techno-politics of the modern Egyptian state; the forms of debt, discipline, and violence that founded the institution of private property; the methods of measurement, circulation, and exchange that produced the novel idea of a national 'economy', yet made its accurate representation impossible; the stereotypes and plagiarisms that created the scholarly image of the Egyptian peasant; and, the interaction of social logics, horticultural imperatives, powers of desire, and political forces that turned programs of economic reform in unanticipated directions. Mitchell is a widely known political theorist and one of the most innovative writers on the Middle East. He provides a rich examination of the forms of reason, power, and expertise that characterize contemporary politics. Together, these intellectually provocative essays will challenge a broad spectrum of readers to think harder, more critically, and more politically about history, power, and theory.
“Timothy Mitchell’s new book is brilliantWritten for academics . . . the writing is superb. The prose is luminous and limpid, undergirded by steely passion and resolve.” * EPD: Society and Space *
“Rule of Experts is the most exciting and intellectually stimulating book about the Middle East to come my way in a long time. It is a brilliant set of inter-related essays about late-19th- and 20th-century Egypt. . . . This book will surely be required reading for most students and faculty in Middle East studies.” * International Journal of Middle East Studies *
“Rules of Experts is the most significant collection of essays by a single author to be produced in contemporary Middle East social science in a generation. There is no one writing today in the field more important than Mitchell.” * Middle East Journal *
“The importance of this book goes well beyond the study of Egypt and the Middle East, making it a must read for everyone interested in the formations and effects of modern power.” * Transforming Anthropology *
“Rule of Experts is the most exciting and intellectually stimulating book about the Middle East to come my way in a long time. It is a brilliant set of inter-related essays about late-19th- and 20th-century Egypt. . . . This book will surely be required reading for most students and faculty in Middle East studies.” * International Journal of Middle East Studies *
“Rules of Experts is the most significant collection of essays by a single author to be produced in contemporary Middle East social science in a generation. There is no one writing today in the field more important than Mitchell.” * Middle East Journal *
“The importance of this book goes well beyond the study of Egypt and the Middle East, making it a must read for everyone interested in the formations and effects of modern power.” * Transforming Anthropology *
Timothy Mitchell, Professor, Department of Middle East and Asian Studies, Columbia University, is the author of Colonising Egypt (California, 1991, with a new preface), and editor of Questions of Modernity (2000).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780520232624 |
| ISBN 10 | 0520232623 |
| Title | Rule of Experts |
| Author | Timothy Mitchell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of California Press |
| Year published | 2002-11-18 |
| Number of pages | 429 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |