Arabs [Paperback]

Mark Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2007

• Essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle East today.
• The perfect antidote to prejudice, ignorance and racial injustice.

The level of noise about the Arab world has been steadily rising. In the pastfifteen years outsiders have twice sent armies to war in the Middle East—to liberate Kuwait from Saddam and then to overthrow him in Iraq. Chronic strife has also afflicted Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon and, by extension, Syria. Palestinians and Israelis have seen long periods of violence. The disaster of 9/11 has precipitated "The War on Terror" and scarcely an Arab country since has been free of terrorist attacks or the tension of retaliatory operations against terrorist groups.

Futurologists forecast that by 2025 the European Union will need up to a hundred and ten million new migrant workers, if European populations are to maintain today's proportions of workers to pensioners. Many of these migrants are expected to come to Europe from Arab countries. Yet a rising level of general migration, a sub-trend of globalization, has already made immigration a hot issuein elections in European countries.

Among the consequences of all of this has been an appalling amount of ignorance, prejudice and hatred of Arab people everywhere. Sir Mark Allen's Who is an Arab?is a passionate and highly informed attempt at an antidote. The book looks at what defines the Arab as a person, the influences and conditions which tell us what the Arab is like and, perhaps, why. The book is more concerned with the people themselves than with history, battles and dates. Also, entering into the spirit of the conviction that we can easily miss the personal dimension, the author shares much of how his own experience shapes his point of view. His knowledge of the Middle East and Arab world today is matchless

Editorial Reviews

Review

Book article in The Morning Star, by Geoff Simons

(Geoff Simons Morning Star, The )

'There are 22 members of the League of Arab States, going from Algeria to Yemen, but including the Conorros Islands...What is the common factor uniting these states? Is it blood/ethnicity, religion or power? Who in fact are Arabs? This is the question that Mark Allen trues to answer-and he admits that no easy answer can be given.

Allen provides no simple answer to his question, but illustrates, in a lively, entertaining manner, all its complexities.'
~ Michael Fitzgerald, The Tablet, 8 July 2006

(Michael Fitzgerald Tablet, The )

'This short book mixes personal anecdote, historical detail and academic insight in an engrossing exploration of Arab identity....Allen attempts a concise sketch of the essence of being Arab. First he clears away some common cultural misconceptions. Western ideas about Arab culture are, he contends, dominated by a fictional Arabia and anchored in the fundamental assumption that it is both romantic and pardoxical.

Arabs is engagingly written and whets the appetite for more information about its subject.'

Thomas Kollmann, Tribune Books, 7 July 2006

(Thomas Kollmann )

'This is one of the more important short books to have appeared in English in recent years....this books arguments are allusive and elusive. Allen may know a lot, but he is the last person to be impressed by his own knowledge. He is always searching for the unknown.'

' The flavour and excitement of this book is captured in an analogy which the author draws with bird-watching. "An ornithologist would say that I am interested in the jizz of the Arab. That is his jargon for the overall and essential impression a bird makes...the jizz is the spirit of the thing...a compound which unlocks an intensity from the memory in a flash of inspiration."

This book will be essential reading for those interested in the Middle East, But it will provide enjoyment for anyone who would like to indulge a little curiosity while savouring fine prose.'

~ Bruce Anderson, Sunday Times, 16 July 2006

(Bruce Naderson Sunday Telegraph )

'a slim volume by one of Britain's leading diplomatic Arabists, Mark Allen, is an amiable and...useful guide....[Allen] offers a thoughtful pot-pourri of observations on the Arab psyche and identity.' ~ Economist, 22 July 2006

"Intriguing book... Allen is much better qualified than most to supply... His aim is not to criticize but to understand." Times Online, August 6, 2006 (Brendan Simms )

Book discussion in Sunday Times online 06/08/2006

(Sunday Times )

"Had this excellent little book been available to American policy makers in 2002, say, it might have provided a usefully sobering corrective to the exuberance of the neocons."

"The flood of books that followed 11 September has tended to focus on politics and terrorism. Arabs offers a much more personal view"

"thoughtful, sometimes whimsical, invariably elegant prose"

"an illuminating discourse on what it means to be an Arab"

(Justin Marozzi Spectator, The )

"In Arabs, Mark Allen has written a gem of a book.... In addition to his analytical expertise, Allen's skills as an avid and accomplished falconer provided him a window onto Arab culture and societal values like no other.... Using anecdote and analysis, Allen reduces much of the confusion and misunderstanding that so frequently burden attempts by Westerners to fathom the nuance-laced interactions between cultures and societies."- John Duke Anthony, Middle East Journal, Vol. 61 No. 2 Spring 2007 (Middle East Journal )

"a sympathetic analysis of the forces shaping contemporary Arab society. He does not patronise or presume; simply, he tells it the way it is." John Townsend, Asain Affairs, July 2007

(John Townsend )

"In Arabs, Mark Allen has written a gem of a book... Allen's skills as an avid and accomplished falconer provided him a window into Arab cultural and societal values like no other"

(A Closer Look )

Book article in The Morning Star, by Geoff Simons

(, Morning Star, The )

'There are 22 members of the League of Arab States, going from Algeria to Yemen, but including the Conorros Islands...What is the common factor uniting these states? Is it blood/ethnicity, religion or power? Who in fact are Arabs? This is the question that Mark Allen trues to answer-and he admits that no easy answer can be given.

Allen provides no simple answer to his question, but illustrates, in a lively, entertaining manner, all its complexities.'
~ Michael Fitzgerald, The Tablet, 8 July 2006

(, Tablet, The )

'This short book mixes personal anecdote, historical detail and academic insight in an engrossing exploration of Arab identity....Allen attempts a concise sketch of the essence of being Arab. First he clears away some common cultural misconceptions. Western ideas about Arab culture are, he contends, dominated by a fictional Arabia and anchored in the fundamental assumption that it is both romantic and pardoxical.

Arabs is engagingly written and whets the appetite for more information about its subject.'

Thomas Kollmann, Tribune Books, 7 July 2006

(, )

'This is one of the more important short books to have appeared in English in recent years....this books arguments are allusive and elusive. Allen may know a lot, but he is the last person to be impressed by his own knowledge. He is always searching for the unknown.'

' The flavour and excitement of this book is captured in an analogy which the author draws with bird-watching. "An ornithologist would say that I am interested in the jizz of the Arab. That is his jargon for the overall and essential impression a bird makes...the jizz is the spirit of the thing...a compound which unlocks an intensity from the memory in a flash of inspiration."

This book will be essential reading for those interested in the Middle East, But it will provide enjoyment for anyone who would like to indulge a little curiosity while savouring fine prose.'

~ Bruce Anderson, Sunday Times, 16 July 2006

(, Sunday Telegraph )

"Intriguing book... Allen is much better qualified than most to supply... His aim is not to criticize but to understand." Times Online, August 6, 2006 (, )

"Had this excellent little book been available to American policy makers in 2002, say, it might have provided a usefully sobering corrective to the exuberance of the neocons."

"The flood of books that followed 11 September has tended to focus on politics and terrorism. Arabs offers a much more personal view"

"thoughtful, sometimes whimsical, invariably elegant prose"

"an illuminating discourse on what it means to be an Arab"

(, Spectator, The )

“In Arabs, Mark Allen has written a gem of a book…. In addition to his analytical expertise, Allen’s skills as an avid and accomplished falconer provided him a window onto Arab culture and societal values like no other…. Using anecdote and analysis, Allen reduces much of the confusion and misunderstanding that so frequently burden attempts by Westerners to fathom the nuance-laced interactions between cultures and societies.”- John Duke Anthony, Middle East Journal, Vol. 61 No. 2 Spring 2007 (, )

"a sympathetic analysis of the forces shaping contemporary Arab society. He does not patronise or presume; simply, he tells it the way it is." John Townsend, Asain Affairs, July 2007

(, )

"In Arabs, Mark Allen has written a gem of a book... Allen's skills as an avid and accomplished falconer provided him a window into Arab cultural and societal values like no other"

(, A Closer Look )

About the Author

Mark Allen studied Arabic at Oxford and worked in the Foreign Service 1973-2004. He served in the UAE, Egypt and Jordan and his work took him all over the Arab world. He is a special advisor to BP plc and a senior associate member of St Antony's College, Oxford. He was made CMG in 2002 and knighted in 2005.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (May 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826494021
• ISBN-13: 978-0826494023
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,848,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars many good insights but indigestible in spots, August 5, 2006

By 

a reader (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Arabs (Hardcover)

The author clearly brings a wealth of knowledge to his subject, the 'Arabs' (which term he defines early on), but this is often hidden by his stilted, convoluted writing style. Over and over one reads a sentence or paragraph that seems to contain the point he's been trying to make, only to read it over and over to know what it is.

The effort will repay, however, but it is irritating. There are nuggets describing Arabs' gregarious nature, their social acuity, family and tribal structure, leadership, and, of course, attitudes towards Islam and its place in their lives. Since so many of these insights seemed fascinating I found myself over and over yearning for a simple, declarative sentence.

A weakness is his chapter on women in the Arab world (which, he admits, is because he actually knew very few over the years due to their place in society vs outsiders). Another is his treatment of 'politics', where his indirection and meandering style made it hard to follow--I concluded that politics was basically that of the tribe, etc, which is actually well-described elsewhere. One fascinating topic is on the qualities it takes to be a shaik (his spelling) and why certain families product them generation after generation--and how the ancient shaik system may be breaking down.

Patience will reward with this book but I suspect there are others that present the same insights with more clear writing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not about Arabs, about desert Arabians years ago, November 23, 2006

By 

fairness advocate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arabs (Hardcover)

This book is interesting, but it is a diplomat's memoirs of time spent in the Arabian desert with Bedouins, and heavy on history. It definitely has a misleading, too-broad title.
Arabs are people in 21 countries and most are not Arabians nor do they live in deserts. No description of urban people (the region is now 85% urban) and no reports of interacting with modern, educated people. So it's not a helpful guide for today, tho it is interesting history. It is almost entirely centered on the Arabian Peninsula.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Naive and unconvincing account, January 1, 2007

By 

Timothy Mcdaniel (San Diego, Calif.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arabs (Hardcover)

I quickly became very disappointed with this book. The author raises many important questions, such as the definition of Arab (to what degree it is linked to tribal identity, for example) and the connections between Arab values and religion. But most of these questions are left hanging, illuminated, if at all, by a few arbitrarily chosen personal experiences. The author has apparently spent a lot of time in the Arab world, but he hasn't done much reading. For example, in his very weak chapter on women he shows no awareness of the voluminous writings on this subject, much of it by Arab women. His chapter on religion is similarly weak, with no real awareness of the complexity of the religious tradition. Key analytical issues are brushed over -- for example, how many of the Arab values that he discusses are common to all Middle Eastern tribal societies, and not specifically Arab at all? Further, the impact of national identities and differences, as well as the effects of economic and demographic changes, are well beyond his grasp. I see that the author of this book was knighted -- I certainly hope that it wasn't for this book, which is one of the weakest of the many I have read on this and related subjects.