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.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
