The origins of arab nationalism pdf

Arab Nationalism. What was once the rallying call of leaders around the Arab world seems to have changed its nature in becoming disassociated from political discourse. The events of the Arab Spring however, show that some form of linkage between the four corners of the Arab world persists to this day.

It is therefore legitimate to wonder if a unifying sentiment of Arab identity still exists, whether it constitutes a form of nationalism and in any case, whether it has political relevance.

If on the contrary such a sentiment does not exist, the issue of what defines identity across the Arab world today arises. Answering these questions is the purpose of this paper. Already a few years back, the late Libyan leader - Col. Muammar Gaddafi - once a poster child of Arab Nationalism, gave a pretty clear answer to the question at hand.

The remarks were also largely justified, given the recent American invasion of Iraq, which was met with silence by a divided Arab League. Although nationalism nowadays is a key-feature of almost any far-right political project, it is not necessarily linked to a specific type of politics. My conceptual basis for using this assumption is that nationalism can exist in distinct forms as a cultural or a political movement and does not necessarily revolve around the workings of a state apparatus or find its base in a political party.

As the name suggests, the identity normally revolves around a nation and the sovereign state within which it exists, or the aspiration to create a state when one does not exist. But the criteria of membership are focused more on personal factors such as race, religion and cultural values, rather than on the political goal of building or maintaining a state. Such a duty gives each member a civic role, making them citizens rather than simple followers and - by extension - members of a political project, to the extent that politics and administration are inseparably interrelated.

Having established the relation between nation and state, we can proceed to consider the case at hand and evaluate the political significance of the lingering existence of an Arab nation, or lack thereof.

History of Arab nationalism Arab identity can be traced back to the dawn of Islam - in the 7th century - and the string of conquests which saw the Bedouin tribes originating from the Arabian Peninsula spread across North Africa and the Middle East, as advocates of the new faith.

The Arab identity was thus created to define - usually with some sense of elitism - those people who shared the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula.

Over the course of two or three generations however, the descendants of the original conquerors grew further apart, and a loose concept of Arab identity was extended throughout the entire population of what is now known as the Arab world. The concept of Arab Nationalism had started appearing sporadically in academic circles already in the final years of the Ottoman empire. The stunning victory over Israel and to a lesser extent France and Britain, sent the message that the Arabs were going to fight for their dignity and were no longer willing to subject themselves to imperialistic interests.

Most importantly however, marked the first real attempt at pan-Arab governance, with the unification of Syria and Egypt under Nasser. From then on, the movement gradually lost traction as economic and political interests formed around those very same colonially imposed borders, which had precipitated its rise. By refusing to recognise the Marxist input on Arab intelligentsia, even the very founders of Arab Nationalism - such as Michel Aflaq - overlooked the socialist economic aspects of Arab nationalism, failing to smooth out the divisive socio-political fabric of the post-colonial Middle East.

Ten years later Anwar Sadat - the new president of Egypt - addressed the Knesset in Jerusalem and eventually signed a peace treaty with Israel, officially shutting the doors to a Pan-Arab union.

Throughout the rest of the Arab world however, people took to the streets in a nostalgic bout of Arab nationalism, hailing Saddam Hussein as an unlikely hero, and painting the invasion of Kuwait as a response to western imperialism and Zionist occupation in Palestine. Current outlook on identity in the Arab world While all Arabs may share ethnic and linguistic roots, along with the occasional cultural trait, this feeling now plays only a small role in constructing national identities, which are increasingly centred around the post-colonial nation states of the Middle-East.

The movement is radically different from socialist, secular Arab Nationalism, and although it has taken its place, it has so far led the region in a completely different direction.

Pages Front Matter Pages The Historical Background of Arab Nationalism. The Genesis of Arab Nationalism. Back Matter Pages About this book Introduction In this new edition Professor Tibi analyses the impact and function of nationalism and its contribution to social and political change in the Third World, taking the rise of nationalism in the Middle East as a historical example. He concentrates on the period after the First World War, when many Arab intellectuals became disillusioned with Britain and France as a result of the occupation of their countries.

Professor Tibi's careful study of the writings and influence of Sati' al-Husri illustrates the connection between modern Arab nationalism and nineteenth century German Romantic nationalism, which will be of particular interest to the English reader. Professor Tibi concludes that while nationalism has played a necessary and important role in the movement for national independence in the Middle East, it has since developed into an ideology which seems to obstruct further social and political emancipation.