Introduction; Genealogy of the Modern Terminology; Al-Umma & Nationalism; The Lebanese Christians Searching for Their Nation; The Shiite 'Asabiyya in the Era of Arabism; From Nusayriyya to Alawiyya; Druze Intellectuals & Nationalism; Index.
Kais M Firro is Professor of Middle Eastern History at the University of Haifa.
"Firro's book might be read in such a way as to render this
complaint incidental. What Firro has done - and done so well - is
demonstrate variety and complexity in nationalist sentiment in the
Arab Middle East and the insufficiency of the phrase, 'Arab
nationalism' in characterizing that sentiment." --Nations and
Nationalism
"Firro investigates the emergence and development of Arab
nationalism with a focus on its cultural aspects as manifested in
language and ideology. He begins by tracing the usage of key terms
such as umma (community), qawn (group), sha'b (group of people),
and 'arab (Arabs) in classical texts from the rise of Islam until
the era of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun (1332-1406). He then explores
the emergence of new terms based on the classical texts with new
meanings in the era of Arabism from the end of the 19the century
until 1940. Finally, he presents case studies on four religious
communities in Syria and Lebanon: the Maronite-Christians, Shi'is,
'Alawis, and Druze." --Reference & Research Book News
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