This remarkable book on a complex and controversial subject is widely regarded as the best full account of the rise of the Arab national movement. After several years of travel and research in all parts of the Arab world, the author managed to gain access to all the relevant material necessary to the writing of a book such as this - much of the material having been unavailable to other writers on the subject. The fruits of Mr. Antonius's research have been embodied in this unique story of the origins and development of the national movement from its earliest beginnings in the nineteenth century down to the post-World War I era. In addition to the narrative account and assessments of military and political leaders, including Lawrence of Arabia, the book contains a set of documents of fundamental importance to the history of the Arab revival.
This remarkable book on a complex and controversial subject is widely regarded as the best full account of the rise of the Arab national movement. After several years of travel and research in all parts of the Arab world, the author managed to gain access to all the relevant material necessary to the writing of a book such as this–much of the material having been unavailable to other writers on the subject. The fruits of Mr. Antonius’ research have been embodied in this unique story of the origins and development of the national movement from its earliest beginnings in the nineteenth century down to the post-World War I era. In addition to the narrative account and assessments of military and political leaders, including Lawrence of Arabia, the book contains a set of documents of fundamental importance to the history of the Arab revival. “Never has the story of the origin and growth of the Arab national movement been told with such brilliance or with such a wealth of detail.”—The Nation “A good book written by a scholar, an expert on the subject and a resident in the country.... A very excellent and extremely able book.” -- The Observer, London “The whole of this brilliantly written book moves at the same plane of objective and critical scholarship.” --Daily Telegraph, London
Excerpt from The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement The frequent risings and upheavals which, in the preceding three centuries, had stirred the Arab world from its torpid passivity under Ottoman dominance do not properly belong to the story. Even such movements 3 the rise of Fakhrud din in Syria, the establishment of the Wahhabi power in Arabia, and the campaigns of mehemed-'ali against his Turkish suzerain, must be relegated to the background as being isolated movements due to particular causes rather than steps in the march of an advancing Arab nationalism. For all their importance at the time, and their ultimate bearing on the destinies of Arab populations, they represent the achievements of individual genius goaded by great ambi tion or great faith, not the exertions of suffering idealists moved by the pride of race. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Over the past decade, the political ground beneath the Middle East has shifted. Arab nationalism the political orthodoxy for most of this century has lost its grip on the imagination and allegiance of a new generation. At the same time, Islam as an ideology has spread across the region, and "Islamists" bid to capture the center of politics. Most Western scholars and experts once hailed the redemptive power of Arabism. Arab Awakening and Islamic Revival is a critical assessment of the contradictions of Arab nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism, and the misrepresentation of both in the West. The first part of the book argues that Arab nationalism--the so-called Arab awakening--bore within it the seeds of its own failure. Arabism as an idea drew upon foreign sources and resources. Even as it claimed to liberate the Arabs from imperialism it deepened intellectual dependence upon the West's own romanticism and radicalism. Ultimately, Arab nationalism became a force of oppression rather than liberation, and a mirror image of the imperialism it defied. Kramer's essays together form the only chronological telling and the at fully documented postmortem of Arabism. The second part of the book examines the similar failings of Islamism, whose ideas are Islamic reworkings of Western ideological radicalism. Its effect has been to give new life to old rationales for oppression, authoritarianism, and sectarian division. Arab Awakening and Islamic Revival provides an alternative view of a century of Middle Eastern history. As the region moves fitfully past ideology, Kramer's perspective is more compelling than at any time in the past-in Western academe no less than among many in the Middle. This book will be of interest to sociologists, political scientists, economists, and Middle East specialists.
From a gay man secretly mourning his lover's suicide in Morocco to a young woman denied schooling because of religious discrimination in Iran, Arab Spring Dreams spotlights some of the Middle East's most outspoken young dissidents. The essayists cover a wide range of experiences, including premarital sex, the lack of educational opportunities, teenage marriage, and the fight for political freedom. They also highlight how repressive laws and cultural mores snuff out liberty and stifle growth and consider how previous movements - particularly the American civil rights struggle - might be channeled to effect change in their own countries. Beautifully written and profoundly moving, these stories present a decisive call for change at a crucial point in the evolution of the Middle East.
