History of the Arab Peoples
Encyclopedia
A History of the Arab Peoples is a book written by the British-born Lebanese
historian Albert Hourani
.
The book presents the history of the Arab
s from the advent of Islam
(although some pre-Islamic history is included) to the late 20th Century. More recent editions contain an afterword
by Malise Ruthven
bringing the history up to the present day including the Invasion of Iraq.
Hourani follows the methodology employed by Ibn Khaldun
in his Muqaddimah
, specifically the reliance on the concept of asabiyyah
as a means of accounting for dynastic and political changes. Thus, the book involves a considerable amount of social history
as well as economic history
in order to account for the rise and subsequent fall of historical powers such as the Umayyad and Ottoman Empire
s.
Hourani's specialisation was in intellectual history, and this is also a focus of this work. Considerable rigour is given to explanations of the rise of Arab nationalism
, Salafism, Ba'athism
and Islamism
, although, as Ruthven notes in his afterword, much of the rise of the latter ideology took place after the book was published.
The book has been translated into Arabic
, and the book has found some currency in Arab universities and schools as an introductory text for Arab history. It has also been used as a text for upper-level courses in Arabic as a second language, on account of the highly readable style of Kamal Khouly's translation.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
historian Albert Hourani
Albert Hourani
-Life and career:Hourani was born in Manchester, England, the son of Soumaya Rassi and Fadlo Issa Hourani, immigrants from Marjeyoun in what is now South Lebanon. His brothers were George Hourani and Cecil Hourani. His family had converted from Greek Orthodoxy...
.
The book presents the history of the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s from the advent of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(although some pre-Islamic history is included) to the late 20th Century. More recent editions contain an afterword
Afterword
An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed....
by Malise Ruthven
Malise Ruthven
Malise Ruthven is an Irish academic and writer. He was born in Dublin of Irish-British parentage. He obtained an MA in English Literature at Cambridge University, before working as a scriptwriter with the BBC Arabic and World Service, and a consultant on Middle Eastern affairs. He also gained a...
bringing the history up to the present day including the Invasion of Iraq.
Hourani follows the methodology employed by Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
in his Muqaddimah
Muqaddimah
The Muqaddimah , also known as the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun or the Prolegomena , is a book written by the Maghrebian Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun in 1377 which records an early view of universal history...
, specifically the reliance on the concept of asabiyyah
Asabiyyah
`Asabiyya or asabiyah refers to social solidarity with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness, and social cohesion, originally in a context of "tribalism" and "clanism", but sometimes used for modern nationalism as well, resembling also communitarism...
as a means of accounting for dynastic and political changes. Thus, the book involves a considerable amount of social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
as well as economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
in order to account for the rise and subsequent fall of historical powers such as the Umayyad and Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
s.
Hourani's specialisation was in intellectual history, and this is also a focus of this work. Considerable rigour is given to explanations of the rise of Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
, Salafism, Ba'athism
Ba'athism
Ba'athism is an Arab nationalist ideology that promotes the development and creation of an Arab nation through the leadership of a vanguard party over a progressive revolutionary state. The ideology is officially based on the theories of Zaki al-Arsuzi , Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar...
and Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
, although, as Ruthven notes in his afterword, much of the rise of the latter ideology took place after the book was published.
The book has been translated into Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, and the book has found some currency in Arab universities and schools as an introductory text for Arab history. It has also been used as a text for upper-level courses in Arabic as a second language, on account of the highly readable style of Kamal Khouly's translation.
See also
- History of the Arabs by Philip K. Hitti
- The Arabs in HistoryThe Arabs in HistoryThe Arabs in History is a book authored by Middle-east historian Bernard Lewis, published in 1950. The book was well-received by the general public owing in part to its accessibility to non-historians. Lewis takes a comprehensive look at the history of the Arab peoples, from pre-Islamic times to...
by Bernard LewisBernard LewisBernard Lewis, FBA is a British-American historian, scholar in Oriental studies, and political commentator. He is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University...