Culture And Crisis In The Arab World

Since 2011, the art of the Arab uprisings has been the subject of much scholarly and popular attention. Yet the role of artists, writers and filmmakers themselves as social actors working under extraordinary conditions has been relatively neglected. Drawing on critical readings of Bourdieu's Field Theory, this book explores the production of culture in Arab social spaces in 'crisis'. In ten case studies, contributors examine a wide range of countries and conflicts, from Algeria to the Arab countries of the Gulf. They discuss among other things the impact of Western public diplomacy organisations on the arts scene in post-revolutionary Cairo and the consequences of dwindling state support for literary production in Yemen. Providing a valuable source of empirical data for researchers, the book breaks new ground in adapting Bourdieu's theory to the particularities of cultural production in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Crisis of Citizenship in the Arab World provides crucial insights into the current political, social and cultural crisis in the Middle East and North Africa by analysing histories, concepts, and practices of citizenship and the mechanisms that undermined them.

The first book to explore how Arab pop culture has succeeded in helping forge a pan-Arab identity, where Arab nationalism has failed. Pop Culture Arab World! is the first volume to explore the full scope of Arab cultural life since World War II. The book reveals a homogeneous yet richly diverse culture across the Arab nations. In-depth chapters feature radio/TV (particularly the satellite revolution, which has fostered a shared Arab identity), the press (vibrant and controversial), cinema (once thriving, now in crisis), music (the beating heart of modern Arabness), theater (a largely assimilated Western import), popular religion, belly dance (originating in the Arab world), Western consumerism, sport, and the Arabic language (for Muslims, the tongue of God's final revelation). At a time when almost all we see of the Middle East is violence, oppressive nationalism, dangerous zealotry, and despair, this book is a vivid reminder of the humanity of the region's diverse people.

This book intends to review the meaning of contemporary in Arab intellectual history. It presents a classification of four periods in modern Arab intellectual history; they are the following: 1) Nahda: the great Arab renaissance period, from 1850 to 1914. The Nahda sought through translation and vulgarization to assimilate the great achievements of modern European civilization; 2) the period between the two wars characterized by the the development of thoughts which played a leading role in social movements, especially in nationalist movements; 3) the period the Arab nationalist experiments on the unionist ideology; and 4) the period of moral and political crisis after the defeat in the 1967 War. The central thesis of this book is that the concept of history - a concept playing a capital role in modern thought - is in fact peripheral to all the ideologies that have dominated the Arab world till now.

Islamic Culture in Crisis examines efforts by intellectuals and leaders in the Islamic world to adapt to what Hichem Djait calls the "incredible novelty of modernity" that has come to Europe during the past 150 years. The chapters in the work are grouped into three sections, and were written by the author over a twenty-year period. Djait describes the different meanings of modernity, the crisis of Islamic culture in its encounter with modernity, similarities and differences between Arabs and Muslims and other cultures, the politics of the Arabs, and the force of democracy in the Islamic world. In the sphere of politics, the Arabs have been excluded from history for a very long time. Instead, Turks, Mongols, Berbers, Persians, and Caucasians have led the destinies of the Islamic world, a domain that had become politically fragmented. But history has overlooked the concrete developments of that time, although they were full of consequences for the lives of the people. Paradoxically, what remains are the spiritual, trans-historic elements: religion, culture, and science. Contrasting the achievements of other civilizations, both past and present, Djait demonstrates eloquently that Arabs and Muslims will not be able to connect with the modern world unless they are able to be inspired by a supreme ambition to further the causes of high culture-in knowledge, science, art, literature, and other spheres.

The Crescent In Crisis is a book that provides an interpretive study of the modern Arab world. Written by Nabih Amin Faris, the book delves into the political, social, and economic challenges that have plagued the Arab world in recent times. The author examines the historical context of the Arab world, tracing its roots to the Islamic Golden Age and the Ottoman Empire. He then explores the factors that have contributed to the current crisis, including colonialism, authoritarianism, and the failure of Arab nationalism. Faris also analyzes the impact of external factors such as the Cold War, the Gulf War, and the War on Terror on the Arab world. He argues that these events have exacerbated the crisis and created a sense of disillusionment among Arab people. The book also examines the role of Islam in the Arab world, exploring the tensions between traditional Islamic values and modernity. Overall, The Crescent In Crisis provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges facing the Arab world today. It offers insights into the historical, political, and cultural factors that have contributed to the crisis, and provides a nuanced understanding of the complex issues at play. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Middle East, international politics, and global affairs.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This wide-ranging examination of Arab society and culture offers a unique opportunity to know the Arab world from an Arab point of view. Halim Barakat, an expatriate Syrian who is both scholar and novelist, emphasizes the dynamic changes and diverse patterns that have characterized the Middle East since the mid-nineteenth century. The Arab world is not one shaped by Islam, nor one simply explained by reference to the sectarian conflicts of a "mosaic" society. Instead, Barakat reveals a society that is highly complex, with many and various contending polarities. It is a society in a state of becoming and change, one whose social contradictions are at the root of the struggle to transcend dehumanizing conditions. Arguing from a perspective that is both radical and critical, Barakat is committed to the improvement of human conditions in the Arab world.

"People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them." -James Arthur Baldwin People, like you, all over the world are asking a serious question, demanding a credible answer: what happened to Arab culture and its peoples? Elie Mikhael Nasrallah addresses this subject as a son of that culture and as a critic from within. "What is wrong, really wrong, with the Arab world" he asks. "The theme of this book is: it's the culture, stupid " Like a social science surgeon, he takes the reader into the dark alleys of contemporary Arab cultural conditions and political collapse. In fact, he shows how the lack of freedom, women's oppression, sexual repression, illiteracy, political tyranny, outdated educational system, the mixing of religion and politics, and the curse of oil have all led to present-day catastrophic upheaval and Arab state-system disintegration, destruction and decay in most Arab lands. He provides readers with a 12-point prescription for salvaging a civilization that has lost its way and needs to re-join modernity and history....