Arabs in World History. From Pre-Islamic Times to the Collapse of the Colonial System

In the classic study by Bernard Lewis, one of the world's leading historians of the East, the very notion of "Arab" and the place of the Arab people in world history from pre-Islamic times to the victory of the movement for independence and sovereignty in the mid-20th century is examined. The author traces the emergence of Islam and the accompanying political, religious, and social events that transformed disparate Arab tribes into an Islamic empire, and analyzes the internal and external factors that shaped the modern Arab world. Lewis shows how Western innovations and institutions destroyed old structures and the traditional way of life of the Arabs, failing to satisfy their needs for social, political, and cultural renewal.