Nationalism And Liberal Thought In The Arab East

This volume aims at confronting the image of the Middle East as a region that is fraught with totalitarian ideologies, authoritarianism and conflict. It gives voice and space to other, more liberal and adaptive narratives and discourses that endorse the right to dissent, question the status quo, and offer alternative visions for society.

Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798–1939 is the most comprehensive study of the modernizing trend of political and social thought in the Arab Middle East. Albert Hourani studies the way in which ideas about politics and society changed during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries, in response to the expanding influence of Europe. His main attention is given to the movement of ideas in Egypt and Lebanon. He shows how two streams of thought, the one aiming to restate the social principles of Islam, and the other to justify the separation of religion from politics, flowed into each other to create the Egyptian and Arab nationalisms of the present century. The last chapter of the book surveys the main tendencies of thought in the post-war years. Since its publication in 1962, this book has been regarded as a modern classic of interpretation. It was reissued by the Cambridge University Press in 1983 and has subsequently sold over 8000 copies.

This volume analyzes a century of intellectual debates, political ideologies, and literary media in order to track the emergence, spread and decline of liberal thought as a response to both authoritarian rule and Westernization in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This book explores the complex relationship between nationalism and liberal thought in the Arab East during the first half of the twentieth century. Examining this formative period through reformist Islam, Arab secularism and Arab literature, the book situates major shifts in the political ideologies and practices of Arab liberals within a historical context. Contributions from renowned scholars in the field show how rather than fundamentally contradicting each other, these two schools of thought are closely linked. Many key demands of liberalism - most notably constitutionalism, the rule of law, individual rights, and popular participation - have been central to the nationalist agenda, while other issues have proven more controversial: inter-confessional tolerance, secularism, and the goals of state-sponsored education. Although a strong nation-state was pivotal to the nationalist imagination during most of the twentieth century, a powerful critique of unchecked state power took shape as Arab countries experienced a half-century of authoritarian government. In analyzing these issues, the chapters demonstrate how the rise and fall of liberalism across the region was not determined solely by religion or culture, but by the ideas of influential intellectuals and politicians. Advancing our understanding of political ideology and practice in the Arab East, this volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of political science, history and the Middle East.

'An extraordinary accomplishment that is original and thought-provoking. In the late-twentieth and early-twenty first century, during what appeared to be the hegemony of political Islamic radicalism and the authoritarian state in the Arab Middle East, Hatina masterfully reconstructs Arab liberalism and liberal political thought. Analysing in detail, liberal voices and actions by courageous public-intellectuals, they challenged the overriding authoritarianism with trenchant criticism, speaking truth to power and providing an alternative agenda for freedom of thought and speech, human rights, social equality, women's emancipation, and genuine liberal democracy. Hatina demonstrates that Arab liberalism is still a vital force in both intellectual and practical spheres, and stands to influence political life in the future.' Professor Israel Gershoni, Tel Aviv University 'A novel and stimulating approach to varieties of Liberalism which go well beyond political or economic doctrine.' Professor Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, University of Copenhagen Combining a historical perspective that traces lines of continuity and change in Arab liberalism, an integrative discussion of cross-sectional themes, and a comparative analysis of the West, Turkey and Iran, this book seeks to enrich our knowledge of liberal thought in the Arab Middle East. In intertwining these dimensions--the historic, integrative and comparative, Arab liberal thought in the modern age responds to a tendency to overlook the significance of Middle Eastern liberalism in favour of more powerful and assertive forces embodied by authoritarian regimes and Islamic movements. The study focuses on the second half of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century. Post-1967 liberals, as their predecessors, confronted old dilemmas, socio-economic upheavals, political instability and cultural disorientation, but also demonstrated ideological rejuvenation and provided liberal thought with new emphases and visions. Arab liberals' ongoing debates over freedom of religion, secularism, individualism, democracy and human rights were aimed at formulating of a comprehensive liberal project seeking to enact an Arab Enlightenment.

A fundamental overhaul of modern Arab intellectual history, reassessing cultural production and political thought in the light of current scholarship.

From the John Holmes Library collection.