Arab nationalism : the politics of history and culture in the modern Middle East / Peter Wien.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wien, Peter, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Arab nationalism.

Civilization, Arab.

Civilization.

Arab countries.

Physical Description:

x, 286 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, 2017.

Summary:

Arab nationalism has been one of the dominant ideologies in the Middle East and North Africa since the early twentieth century. However, a clear definition of Arab nationalism, even as a subject of scholarly inquiry, does not yet exist. 'Arab Nationalism' sheds light on cultural expressions of Arab Nationalism and the sometimes contradictory meanings attached to it in the process of identity formation in the modern world. It presents nationalism as an experiencable set of identity markers - in stories, visual culture, narratives of memory and struggles with ideology, sometimes in culturally sophisticated forms, sometimes in utterly vulgar forms of expression. Drawing upon various case studies, the book transcends a conventional history that reduces nationalism in the Arab lands to a pattern of political rise and decline. It offers a glimpse at ways in which Arabs have constructed an identifiable shared national culture, and it critically dissects conceptions about Arab nationalism as an easily graspable secular and authoritarian ideology modelled on Western ideas and visions of modernity. This book offers an entirely new portrayal of nationalism and a crucial update to the field, and as such, is indispensable reading for students, scholars and policymakers looking to gain a deeper understanding of nationalism in the Arab world.

Contents:

Introduction : a critique of Arab nationalism

The trials and tribulations of the poet Fu'ad al-Khatib : a biographical essay on the origins of Arab nationalism

Holding up the mirror : imperialism and the poetics of cultural pan-Arabism

Saladin the Victor : national saints, great men, and the rise of the individual

From the glory of conquest to paradise lost : al-Andalus in Arab historical consciousness

Of kings and cavemen : museums and nationalist museology in twentieth century Egypt

Damascus transfers : dead bodies and their translocal meanings

Nearly victorious : the art of staging Arab military prowess

Arab nationalism, fascism and the Jews

Epilogue and conclusion : broken narratives.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415499378

0415499372

9780415499385

0415499380

OCLC:

957581413