Social Constructions of Nationalism in the Middle East
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A comparative analysis of the social and cultural dimensions of nationalism in the Middle East.
While Middle Eastern nationalism is most often examined from the political viewpoint, this book adds a fresh perspective by exploring the social and cultural dimensions. Although most scholars agree that nationalism is the most significant social and political phenomenon of the twentieth century, shaping individuals, societies, and states throughout the world, they often dispute the complex elements that form and transform it. This book provides a rare comparative analysis of the meaning systems created around nationalism in societies, groups, and the lives of individuals, and proves that these systems are, in fact, as significant in sustaining nationalism as the dominant political form of nation-states. Concentrating on three themes—narrative, gender, and cultural representation—the contributors address how nationalism transforms and is transformed by the lives of individuals and groups from the eighteenth century to the present, with examples ranging from Turkey to Egypt to Iranian immigrants in the United States.
Fatma Müge Göçek is Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Rise of the Bourgeoisie, Demise of Empire: Ottoman Westernization and Social Change, editor of Political Cartoons in the Middle East: Cultural Representation in the Middle East, and coeditor (with Shiva Balaghi) of Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity, and Power.
"I know of no comparable works in which nationalistic issues and cultural issues are joined in a study of the Middle East. The volume is superb, and should attract a lot of attention." — Robert L. Canfield, Washington University