Author: Salam Hawa
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429755554
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 213
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Book Description
This book discusses the idea that Arab cultural and political identity has been suppressed by centuries of dominance by imperial outsiders and by religious and nationalist ideologies with the result that present day Arab societies are characterised by a crisis of identity where fundamentalism or chaos seem to be the only available choices. Tracing developments from pre-Islamic times through to the present, the book analyses the evolution of Arab political identity through a multi-layered lens, including memory and forgetting, social and cultural norms, local laws, poetry, dance, attitudes to women, foreigners and animals, ancient historical narratives and more. It argues that Arab societies have much to gain by recovering the "happy memory" of Arab culture as it was before being distorted.
Author: Salam Hawa
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317390067
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
This book explores the long history of the evolution of Arab political identity, which predates the time of the Prophet Muhammad and is characterized by tolerance, compassion, generosity, hospitality, self-control, correct behaviour, equality and consensus. The author argues that present-day struggles in many Arab countries to redefine polities and politics are related to the fact that the underlying political culture of the Arabs has been overridden for centuries by successive political regimes which have deviated from the original political culture that the Prophet adhered to. The book outlines the political culture that existed before Islam, examines how the Conquests and the rule of the early dynasties (Umayyad and Abbasid) of the Islamic world found it necessary to override it, and analyses the effect of rule by non-Arabs – successively Mamluks, Ottoman Turks and Western colonial powers. It discusses the impact of these distortions on present day politics in the Arab world, and concludes by appealing for a reawakening of, and respect for, the cultural elements underlying the origins of Arab political identity.
Author: Shibley Telhami
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 9780801439407
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232
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Book Description
Shibley Telhami and Michael Barnett, together with experts on Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Syria, explore how the formation and transformation of national and state identities affect the foreign policy behavior of Middle Eastern states.
Author: Hilal Khashan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813017372
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 189
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Book Description
"This work is brave and important. Dr. Khashan takes the necessary scholarly risk of saying things that are unpopular in many Arab circles. Calling on the Arabs to reexamine their identity is not an easy task for a resident of Beirut."--Jamal R. Nassar, Illinois State University In this provocative study, Hilal Khashan assesses Arab political experience during the 20th century. He examines the rise and fall of Arab hopes for founding a territorial entity based on a unified identity, focusing on important issues that contribute to the existing impasse that prevails in the Arab world. These issues include the concept of Arab nationalism; the seeming inability of Arab ruling elites to liberalize their societies, propel economic growth, and enfranchise the masses; and the growth of Islamic revival movements. Khashan dissects the components of the Arabs' political quagmire by recognizing the nature of their identity crisis, as well as its ramifications. In a departure from typical academic writing, he prescribes an agenda to help the Arabs deal better with the challenges of the 21st century, dwelling on the need for them to respect authority, reconsider their nationalistic identity, define and pursue realistic objectives, and commit themselves to political representation. In addition, his explanation of Iraq's motives when it triggered the two Gulf conflicts differs sharply from most Western accounts. Khashan articulates issues that the majority of writers on Arab affairs prefer to avoid. Arab intellectuals and scholars of the Middle East as well as journalists and politicians will be fascinated by this controversial book. Hilal Khashan, associate professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, is the author of Inside the Lebanese Confessional Mind and Partner or Pariah? Attitudes Toward Israel in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan and has published in such journals as Orbis, Middle East Quarterly, and Arab Studies Quarterly.
Author: Christopher Phillips
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136219609
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
Whether through government propaganda or popular transnational satellite television channels, Arab citizens encounter a discourse that reinforces a sense of belonging to their own state and a broader Arab world on a daily basis. Looking through the lens of nationalism theory, this book examines how and why Arab identity continues to be reproduced in today’s Middle East, and how that Arab identity interacts with strengthening ties to religion and the state. Drawing on case studies of two ideologically different Arab regimes, Syria and Jordan, Christopher Phillips explores both the implications this everyday Arab identity will have on western policy towards the Middle East and its real life impact on international relations. Offering an original perspective on this topical issue, this book will be of interest to academics and practitioners working on the Arab world and political affairs, as well as students of International Relations, Political Science and the Middle East, notably Syria and Jordan, and policymakers in the region.
Author: Webb Peter Webb
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 1474408281
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317
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Book Description
Who are the Arabs? When did people begin calling themselves Arabs? And what was the Arabs' role in the rise of Islam? Investigating these core questions about Arab identity and history by marshalling the widest array of Arabic sources employed hitherto, and by closely interpreting the evidence with theories of identity and ethnicity, Imagining the Arabs proposes new answers to the riddle of Arab origins and fundamental reinterpretations of early Islamic history. This book reveals that the time-honoured stereotypes which depict Arabs as ancient Arabian Bedouin are entirely misleading because the essence of Arab identity was in fact devised by Muslims during the first centuries of Islam. Arab identity emerged and evolved as groups imagined new notions of community to suit the radically changing circumstances of life in the early Caliphate. The idea of 'the Arab' was a device which Muslims utilised to articulate their communal identity, to negotiate post-Conquest power relations, and to explain the rise of Islam. Over Islam's first four centuries, political elites, genealogists, poetry collectors, historians and grammarians all participated in a vibrant process of imagining and re-imagining Arab identity and history, and the sum of their works established a powerful tradition that influences Middle Eastern communities to the present day.
Author: Mahjoob Zweiri
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100093683X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 199
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Book Description
Unlike most writing on Arab-Iran relations, which looks at specific episodes and specific countries, this book, taking a long term view, assesses the overall dynamics of the relationship, discussing in particular how far religion or politics drives the relationship. It argues that although Iran asserts that religion is a key factor underpinning a coherent approach to international relations, in fact what turns out to be the key factor is the politics of particular circumstances and Iran’s specific interests. The book considers Iran’s differing reactions to the Arab uprisings of 2011 onwards, showing that while Iran supported the uprisings in some countries it sided with repressive governments in other countries. The book also examines Iran’s reaction to its own outbreak of popular discontent in 2009 which was controlled by what has been considered as severe repression and explores how Iran is viewed by ordinary people in different Arab countries. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Author: Mahjoob Zweiri
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040029523
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 189
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Book Description
This book explores the contemporary history, governance, foreign policy, political economy, culture, and society of Kuwait. It highlights the dynamics of the country, putting forward both an overview of each subject covered and new research findings. It begins by providing a historical understanding of state formation and goes on to examine state structure, including the ruling monarchy, state legitimacy, and the creation of the Constitution and the National Assembly. It considers foreign policy, including the tools of diplomacy, the state’s regional and international approach, and the factors that have formed and reformed Kuwait’s strategic policy in the global arena. It assesses the economy, including rentierism, the labour market both for locals and for migrants, the class system, and the process of Kuwaitization; and it discusses Kuwaiti society and national identity, as well as investigates issues of women, civil society, youth, and the Bidoon minority. Overall, the book provides a full and detailed analysis of contemporary Kuwait and of the factors which are bringing about new developments.
Author: Mehran Haghirian
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000642429
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 196
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Book Description
This book explores a range of key issues connected to China’s relations with countries in the Middle East and South Asia. It discusses economic and political connections, and projects which have arisen as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It covers both important countries in the Middle East, and also Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It examines current contentious issues including Iranian sanctions and the war in Syria, and assesses the roles of other powers such as Russia, Turkey and Israel insofar as they affect China’s relationships. Overall, the book presents many new perspectives on the subject, with many of the perspectives representing the view from the countries of the Middle East and South Asia.
Author: Yoram Evron
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000954625
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
This book examines Israel's growing interaction with Asia's sub-regions and countries since the 1990s. It shows how these interactions have increased in recent years, both at government level and for companies, entrepreneurs, academic institutions, religious groups, tourists, and NGOs. Likewise, it discusses the evolving shared interests between Israel and Asian states and demonstrates how Asian countries adopted sophisticated policies that allowed them to get closer to Israel without compromising their traditional support of the pro-Palestinian position. It also explores how Israel differentiates between different regions, circles of importance, and countries in Asia rather than sees Asia as a monolithic whole. This groundbreaking book concludes by assessing the overall state of relations at present and likely future developments.
