American Arabesque: Arabs and Islam in the Nineteenth Century Imaginary

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American Arabesque America and the Long 19th Century General Editors David Kazanjian, Elizabeth McHenry, and Priscilla Wald Black Frankenstein: The Making of an American Metaphor Elizabeth Young Neither Fugitive nor Free: Atlantic Slavery, Freedom Suits, and the Legal Culture of Travel Edlie L. Wong Shadowing the White Man’s Burden: U.S. Imperialism and the Problem of the Color Line Gretchen Murphy Bodies of Reform: The Rhetoric of Character in Gilded Age America James B. Salazar Empire’s Proxy: American Literature and U.S. Imperialism in the Philippines Meg Wesling Sites Unseen: Architecture, Race, and American Literature William A. Gleason Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights Robin Bernstein American Arabesque: Arabs, Islam, and the 19th-Century Imaginary Jacob Rama Berman American Arabesque Arabs, Islam, and the 19th-­Century Imaginary Jacob Rama Berman a N e w Y o r k U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s New York and London n e w y o r k u n i v e r s i t y p r e s s New York and London www.nyupress.org© 2012 by New York University All rights reserved library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Berman, Jacob Rama. American arabesque : Arabs, Islam, and the 19th-century imaginary / Jacob Rama Berman. p. cm. — (America and the long 19th century) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-8950-6 (cloth : acid-free paper) ISBN-10: 0-8147-8950-1 (cloth : acid-free paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-4518-2 (pbk. : acid-free paper) ISBN-10: 0-8147-4518-0 (pbk. : acid-free paper) [etc.] 1. American literature—19th century—History and criticism. 2. Arabs in literature. 3. National characteristics, American, in literature. 4. Islam in literature. 5. Arabs—Race identity. 6. National characteristics, American—History—19th century. I. Title. PS217.A72B47 2012 810.9'3529927—dc23 2011043495 References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. New York University Press books are printed on acid-­ free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A book in the American Literatures Initiative (ALI), a collaborative publishing project of NYU Press, Fordham University Press, Rutgers University Press, Temple University Press, and the University of Virginia Press. The Initiative is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. For more information, please visit www.americanliteratures.org. To ‫الشباب‬ and their Arab Spring This page intentionally left blank ...