Conclusions

Abstract

We designed this book to use English school theory as a conceptual lens through which to look at the Middle East. All social theory can be understood as a type of lens through which to observe humankind. In this sense, social theories are analagous to physical lenses. Like eyes, infrared goggles and X-ray machines, they all view a single reality, but by using a particular wavelength select which parts of it become clearer, and which parts are obscured. As a lens, English school theory highlights social structures (shared norms, rules, institutions and identities) particularly among states, but also in the transnational and interhuman domains. As far as we know, there has been no systematic attempt to look at the Middle East in this way, so we hoped, at a minimum, to get a distinctive view of this complicated and important region.