In this influential bestseller, Albert Hourani tells the definitive history of the Arab peoples from the seventh century, when Islam spread from the Arabian Peninsula, to the present day. The book provides an expert summary of a lifetime of research and offers a unique insight into a continuously complex region.
This updated edition, prepared by Malise Ruthven, adds a new chapter discussing recent events such as 9/11, the US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent turmoil, the fall of the Mubarak and Ben Ali regimes in Egypt and Tunisia respectively, and the emerging civil war conflict in Syria. This makes Hourani's masterful history up to date.
Ruthven highlights that Hourani, although he obviously could not predict these recent upheavals, would not have been entirely surprised. This is due to the persistent influence of family and patronage networks that he describes, and the challenges that new, media-oriented generations of young people pose to these structures.
The edition also includes a biographical introduction by Ruthven, which indicates how Hourani's unique background as an English-speaking Arab Christian from the Middle East shaped his vision of the Arab world.
Language: Dutch
Suitable for: education, self-study and work