Customer Reviews

Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century: From Triumph to Despair

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a good account of Arab Nationalism from a scholarly perspective, written in accessible language. The author has no axe to grind. Readers might detect an occasional note of wistful sadness, though, as Dawisha contrasts the movement's mid-century promise and fervor with its disappointing outcomes. Dawisha sets himself the task of explaining the movement's shortcomings and weaknesses, and he does a good job of it.

I wrote my thesis on Arab Nationalism and this book was an Allah send for it. Dawisha is a great author and does a detailed job that is accessible to those who have some desire to learn the subject matter in great detail. I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to have a more solid understanding of the role of Arab Nationalism from the 1890s to the 1990s and the prospects for the future

Mr. Seraj, for some warped reason, perceived this book as an attack on arab nationalism, when in fact Dawisha's work reads as a straight history. Dr. Dawisha was simply stating a factual historical truth: "Arab nationalism", an abstract concept at best, rose fitfully, then faltered and died. Why? because it had no historical, cultural, emotive, or even linguistic bases. It was essentially contrived (and I would argue, calqued along the lines of the european language-based nationalisms that labled people based on the languages they spoke.) It sought to impute a certain identity on people who had for centuries thought of themselves as nothing but Muslims, Jews, Assyrians, Chaldaeans, Maronites, Druze, etc.. and nothing else! This is not bias, this is the plain painful truth Mr. Seraj. Be a man, accept it, and move on. Arabs and Arab nationalism are a mere mirage, an abstract concept, and an obsolete ideology (though it is still upheld by a motely senile half-witted academics who keep irresolute dreamers like Mr. Seraj and their warped ideas alive.)

I had to read this book as a requirement for a class paper, it is by far one of the worst books ive read. It is boring, and dry and long, if you want to read this book for personal enjoyment then you must really have to love this topic or else you will get a headache after 10 pages.

I have read a couple of books on Arab Nationalism and some that are in some way related to Arab nationalism, in particular Aburish's. I find this book so confusing and unintresting. In addition to the weird and confusing diction the author uses, it is a little biased - in my opinion. whether wittingly or unwittingly the author is attacking Arab Nationalism even even in conditions which require that he be otherwise.

In a word, I would not recommend this book.