Week 3 Flashcards
When and where did Arab nationalism take place?
Arab nationalism took root during the 19th Century among Arab - speaking populations of the Ottoman Empire- during WWI the ideology developed into a full revolutionary movement
What are Primordialists?
They are schools of thought that view the nation as being formulated by blood ties and kinship. This organic perception assets that the nation is a ‘given’ and a natural extension of the family
What are Modernists?
They suggest that the modern concept of the nation has generated out of certain processes of modernisation such as industrialisation, democracy, print - capitalism and the State
What was the Arab Revolt of 1916 a reflection?
It was a reflection and the first major manifestation of Arab nationalism
What happened in October 1918?
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Army in Palestine - Faysal marches on Damascus and this makes the consideration of Arab nationalism a distinct possibility.
CASE STUDY: Palestine
- Until the fall of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, Palestine and its inhabitants were under Ottoman rule and had been for the previous five centuries
- Palestine was then occupied by the British from 1918 to 1922; when the League of Nations assigned a mandate for its administration to Great Britain
- Palestine under the British Mandate was characterised by outbursts of violence between the Jewish and Arab populations, owing to conflicting national aspirations and the pressure of rapidly increasing Jewish immigration on the Arab population
- On 29 November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 181 recommending the termination of the Mandate and the partition of Palestine into ‘independent Arab and Jewish States’ and a ‘Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem’ under the umbrella of an economic union
- It was followed by an escalation of violence between the Arab and Jewish communities.
What happened on the 14th May 1948?
The State of Israel declared its independence on the final withdrawal of British troops from Palestine. On the same day, full - scale war erupted between the Arabs of Palestine and neighbouring Arab states on the other hand.
Define the fundamental tenets of Arab Nationalism?
- Raising consciousness and encouraging the growth of a secularised Arab identity that would - in theory - transcend the competing loyalties of class, tribe and religion
- To challenge the dominance of the Western - inspired secular project, with its accompanying notions of nationalism, modernisation and liberalisation; focuses on an anti - colonial and anti - western rhetoric
- Pan - Arabism was believed to be at the base of political mergers between states and it was believed that this concept would allow the leaders of the Arab world to transcend state boundaries, many of which had been artificially imposed during the colonial period, to obtain the idea of Arab unity
- Forced belonging - people will either feel like they belong i.e. they may follow the same religion or speak the same language; but then some people will feel forced to belong i.e. Kurds in Iran, Iraq and Syria
How is Arab Nationalism harnessed by leaders?
The concept of Arab nationalism was hijacked by political leaders to rally the general people - it was shaped around the agenda and belief of unity and arab nationalism
What did Nasser sustain a vision of?
Nasser sustained a vision of a united Arab world and especially under the suppression of British forces, this belief quickly translated into political power and support which spread throughout the region and hence legitimised his thoughts into an integral policy that looked at the freedom of Arabs and their views.
What did the decline of colonial powers apparently signify?
After the decline of colonial powers, the Arab countries felt like they had succeeded in unifying the communities
What did Baathism draw up an agenda based on?
They drew an agenda based on the principles of secular, nationalism and socialism which could unite all Arabs throughout the region, irrespective of religion, nation or class
In what ways has the Arab - Israeli conflict become a rallying call for Arab unity?
It created the Arab League in which five Arab countries came together and marched on Palestine to protect it. It was near the end of when the Arab counties declared independence from the colonial powers and therefore, Arab nationalism was high and they were the common enemy os Israel.
