This book gives a unique perspective on the interwar history of the Middle East. By telling the life story of one man, it illuminates the political and cultural struggles of an era. Shakib Arslan (1869–1946) was a leading member of the generation of Ottoman Arabs who came to professional maturity just before the final defeat of the Ottoman Empire. Born to a powerful Lebanese Druze family, Arslan grew up perfectly suited to his time and place in history. He was one of the leading writers of his day and a dexterous, ambitious politician. But, by the end of World War I, Arslan and others of his generation found themselves adrift in a world no longer of their choosing, as the once great Ottoman state lay broken before the West. Rather than retreating from public life in those dark days, however, Arslan emerged militant in his opposition to Western encroachment on Islamic lands and tireless in his crusade to bring the organizing principles of a universalist Islam to the age of emerging nation-states. Organizer, pamphleteer, diplomat, spokesman, and symbol, Arslan became one of the dominant, and most controversial, Muslim political figures in the two decades between the wars. His involvements were so varied and intense that to study his life is to bring into focus all the major political issues and intellectual currents of the era. By the end of his career he was both praised and vilified, but he was arguably the most widely read Arab author of his day. Curiously, Arslan has received relatively little attention in English-language research. This may well be due less to his contemporary importance than to the perspective from which Western scholarship has viewed Middle Eastern intellectual history. Arslan was not one of the winners. For many his evocation of the old imperial ideal and his insistence on the strategic importance of Islamic ideals seemed to be simply archaic protest in a secular age. But this impeccably researched and beautifully written biography demonstrates the power and importance of Arslan's activist heritage, reinterpreting it for its own time and showing its importance for ours.

Islam against the West: Shakib Arslan and the Campaign for Islamic Nationalism (CMES Modern Middle East Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Cleveland, William L.

Historical

University of Texas Press

Islam Against the West: Shakib Arslan and the Campaign for Islamic Nationalism (Modern Middle East Series)

History

Middle East

Univ of Texas Pr

A History of the Modern Middle East

Product Description 
A History of the Modern Middle East examines the profound and often dramatic transformations of the region in the past two centuries, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the impact of US foreign policies. Built around a framework of political history, while also carefully integrating social, cultural, and economic developments, this expertly crafted account provides readers with the most comprehensive, balanced and penetrating analysis of the modern Middle East.The sixth edition has been revised to provide a thorough account of the major developments since 2012, including the tumultuous aftermath of the Arab uprisings, the sectarian conflict in Iraq and civil war in Syria that led to the rise of ISIS, the crises in Libya and Yemen, and the United States' nuclear talks with Iran. With brand-new timelines in each part, updated select bibliographies, and expanded online instructor resources, A History of the Modern Middle East remains the quintessential text for courses on Middle East history. 
 Review 
"A complete course of instruction under one cover, 
A History of the Modern Middle East is an ideal and highly recommended textbook for college and university Middle East Studies courses. Enhanced with new time lines in each part, updated select bibliographies, and expanded online instructor resources, 
A History of the Modern Middle East remains the quintessential text and is a must for both community and academic library Middle East Studies collections."-- 
Library Bookwatch\n"A solid, well-written, and well-packed introductory text that will be easily accessible to inductees into modern Middle Eastern history . . . Careful readers of Cleveland's text will discover that in a quiet and persuasive manner the author challenges many popularly held beliefs and (mis)perceptions."-- 
International Journal of Middle East Studies\n"An excellent overview of the history of the modern Middle East. Eminently clear, comprehensive, and insightful. A truly superior book."-- 
James Jankowski, University of Colorado\n"Cleveland and Bunton provide a comprehensive history of the Middle East that allows students to understand the decisions of the principal political actors and the results of major events and crises. It has been an indispensable textbook for my survey on how and why the peoples of the Middle East deal with issues of democracy, religious and national identity as well as conflicting reactions toward Western intervention in a variety of forms."-- 
Stacy E. Holden, Purdue University\n"Cleveland has put his recognized expertise on Arab nationalism and modern Islamic movements to particularly good use in this learned, sensitive, and highly readable account of the past two centuries of Middle Eastern history. The formidable task of combining thematic with country-by-country treatment is accomplished remarkably well."-- 
Donald M. Reid, Georgia State University\n"Cleveland has written a cogent and comprehensive political history of the Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, prefaced by a concise and readable introduction to Islamic history. He is particularly successful in pointing to the persistence and strength of traditional modes of thought and belief in bringing about the reassertion of Islamic identity in the face of the moral bankruptcy of contemporary Middle Eastern regimes and the disempowering pressures of everyday life . . . this book should do much to demystify common misconceptions about this complex and frequently misunderstood region."-- 
Peter Sluglett, Durham University\n"Cleveland's timely book is now the most comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the history of the modern Middle East, and it is likely to remain so for a good long while. He does a marvelous job of rendering intelligible the complex political and social changes that the Middle East experienced in the past two centuries. Readers will be grateful to Cleveland for

Bunton, Martin

Reference

Routledge

A History of the Modern Middle East examines the profound and often dramatic transformations of the region in the past two centuries, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the impact of US foreign policies. Built around a framework of political history, while also carefully integrating social, cultural, and economic developments, this expertly crafted account provides readers with the most comprehensive, balanced, and penetrating analysis of the modern Middle East. The seventh edition has been substantially revised to reflect the significance of the 2011 Arab Uprisings as a major turning point in the modern history of the region. A new chapter considers how regional powers, especially in the Gulf, are now asserting themselves more forcefully, seeking to push their own interests while Russia and China contest America's position. Including an annotated and updated bibliography that offers guidance to readers seeking more in-depth information and incorporating an online companion website featuring quizzes, timelines, and instructor resources, A History of the Modern Middle East remains the quintessential text for courses on Middle Eastern history.

A loyal servant of the Ottoman Empire in his early career, Sati' al-Husri (1880-1968) became one of Arab nationalism's most articulate and influential spokesmen. His shift from Ottomanism, based on religion and the multi-national empire, to Arabism, defined by secular loyalties and the concept of an Arab nation, is the theme of William Cleveland's account of "the making of an Arab nationalist."Originally published in 1972.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Making of an Arab Nationalist: Ottomanism and Arabism in the Life and Thought of Sati' Al-Husri (Princeton Studies on the Near East)

Leaders & Notable People

Princeton University Press

A History Of The Modern Middle East

This comprehensive work provides a penetrating analysis of modern Middle Eastern history, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the Iranian Revolution and the recent Gulf War. After introducing the reader to the region's history from the origins of Islam in the seventh century, Cleveland focuses on the past two centuries of profound and often dramatic change. While built around a framework of political history, the book also carefully integrates social, cultural, and economic developments into a single, carefully crafted account.Cleveland sets the stage with a superb, concise overview of the long-term, general patterns of Middle Eastern history. The book opens with a portrayal of Islam that stresses an understanding of this great world religion and culture on its own terms and in its specific historical setting. The rich potential of this culture manifested itself in shifting centers of Islamic florescence, culminating in the rise of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires as the central political and social entities of the Middle East in the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries.The book next examines the crucial developments of the nineteenth centuryan era characterized by attempts at the self-transformation of Middle Eastern societies, a process sometimes misleadingly referred to as modernization” or Westernization.” The resulting disruption of the established order was a wrenching and disorienting experience for the peoples of the region.Defeat in World War I delivered the coup de grace to Ottoman rule and brought in the mandate system” through which the British and the French sought to impose their overlordship on the Arab world. The interwar years, through to the end of World War II, were characterized by the Arab struggle for independence. This struggle led to the emergence of the major political ideologies of the Arab worldregionalism, pan-Arab nationalismcombined with the enduring appeal of Islamic solidarity. During this same period the two major independent states of the region, Turkey and Iran, embarked on intensive programs of secular reform designed to remake their societies in the image of the West. Several Arab states were able to establish their independence, but this process was greatly complicated by the legacies of European rule, especially the founding of the state of Israel in 1948 and the cold war rivalry of the superpowers.Many of the problems faced in the region today are a direct consequence of this historical legacy: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the concentration of oil wealth into the hands of a few, the Iran-Iraq war, the Palestinian problem, the dissolution of Lebanon, Islamic fundamentalism, and the striving for power on the world stage of states such as Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A History of the Modern Middle East explains the deep historical currents flowing beneath today's headlines, making it essential reading for anyone seeking a better understanding of today's turbulent world.

Westview Press

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