Arab and American intellectuals examine and explain the visions that Americans and Arabs hold of their own cultures, to promote intercultural understanding.

Proceedings of the conference held Sept. 22-23, 1976.

pt. 1.History: Sands and dreams / Abdallah Laroui -- The American perception of the Arab world / William E. Leuchtenburg -- pt. 2. Literature: The impact of tradition on the development of modern Arabic literature / Sahair el-Calamawy -- I am dying, Egypt, dying / John Updike -- pt. 3. Culture: Rational aspects of the classical Arabic culture / Zaki Naguib Mahmoud -- American culture and the idea of community / Robert Nisbet -- pt. 4. Politics: The sociocultural determinants of Arab diplomacy / Mansour Khalid -- The American opposition to government and its international implications / Samuel P. Huntington -- pt. 5. Can cultures survive?: Round table / Samuel P. Huntington, Laura Nader, Mustafa Safwan, Edward Said, Edward Stewart -- Appendixes: The intellectual life in contemporary Egypt / Zaki Naguib Mahmoud -- The cultural situation of the American writer / John Updike -- Arab diplomacy: failures and successes / Boutros Boutros-Ghali.