Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Who made the Nahda?; 2. The discourse of civilization; 3. A place in the world; 4. An Arab utopian; Conclusions.

Promotional Information

Examines the 'Nahda', a cultural renaissance in the Arab world, through the utopian visions of Arab intellectuals during the nineteenth century.

About the Author

Peter Hill is a Junior Research Fellow in Oriental Studies at Christ Church, University of Oxford. An intellectual and cultural historian of the Arab world in the long nineteenth century, he has lived and studied in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. He has published articles in journals including Past & Present, the Journal of Arabic Literature and Intellectual History Review.

Reviews

'an important contribution to studies of the cultural and intellectual revival of the nahda … which the Arab world witnessed in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries … opens new perspectives for understanding the nahda.' Hilary Kilpatrick, Journal of Islamic Studies

'erudite and thought-provoking … a welcome contribution to post-national and materialist accounts of modernity in the Arab world.' Samah Selim, Global Intellectual History

'… an important benefit of Hill's book is its easy adaptability to classroom settings. With clarity of language and chapters organized into distinct sub-sections, teachers and students alike will find the book easy to navigate, whether as a whole or as separate chapters. In this, [the book] offers a great service to future scholars of the cultural history of the Arab world, and not only for its timely scholarly interventions.' Ziad Dallal, Journal of Arabic Literature