Arab Identity: Construction, Role in Arab States, and Evolution

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Arab identity, tracing its historical construction and evolution over the past century. It examines the key factors that have shaped Arab identity, including cultural heritage, language, religion, and political ideologies like Arab nationalism. The essay explores how Arab identity has been influenced by historical events, such as the rise and fall of empires, Western influence, and the impact of modern media and technology. It also delves into the contemporary role of Arab identity in the context of modern Arab states, considering issues such as political unity, cultural preservation, and the impact of transnational connections. The essay highlights the debates surrounding Arab identity, including its relationship with Islam, the role of the state, and the influence of global forces. Through an examination of various perspectives, the essay offers insights into the complexities of Arab identity and its significance in the modern world. Finally, the essay analyzes the influence of media, particularly satellite television, on shaping and disseminating new discourses of Arabism.

Running head: WORLD REGION MIDDLE EAST
World Region Middle East
Name of the Student
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Author’s Note

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(How has Arab identity been constructed over the past century, and which role does it play today
for the people living in Arab states?)
Introduction
Arab Identity is constructed based on the cultural identities and the way of perceiving oneself in
the shroud of that cultural construct. It is no exception from other cultural identities which rises
from the shared culture, history, religion, traditional lineage and various other stories pertaining
to the region (MacQueen, 2013 pp. 97-117). This essay will explore the Arab identity which has
been constructed in the past, and how it has undergone various changes till the contemporary
times.
Arab Nationalism
Among various other ideologies, Arab Nationalism is one of the significant aspects which binds
the citizens together. The language, literature, political ideologies, and history gives them a sense
of identity and unity (Mabon & Ardovini, 2015, p. 64). One of the important mission of the Arab
nationalism is also to end Western influence on their culture, which is also referred to as nemesis
(Pföstl & Will, 2015, pp. 2489-2498).
Background information
The history of Arab can be traced back to the mid-ninth century BC. According to the legends,
Abraham was considered to be the first one from where the descendant of Arabs came. The
birthplace of Arab is in the Arabian deserts for the people who are staying over there for
millennia. The Arabs were always seen by people from other culture as exotic, pre modern and
debased. They were also perceived to have a consistent motif which disables them to achieve
progress (Stewart, 2012, pp. 103-119). This mind set is also said to have come from clinging the

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glory of the pre-Ottoman empire and ancient heritage. This concept will be studied in details and
whether the Arab nationalism is interconnected with the present day (Choueiri, 2016, p. 317).
Present day
In the present day, a lot of debates have arisen as to whether the sense of Arab identity is etched
in the medieval times or it has been recreated in the modern times. Nowadays, it has not only
been restricted to shared culture, language and other aspects, but it also has other issues
concerned like political, cultural, conservative, statist, revolutionary and unitary. However, they
were not willing to politically unify their communities which would not make them Arab
nationalist (Al-Rasheed & Piscatori, 2005 pp. 96-113). The fall of Arab nationalism started not
before the nineteenth century. Before this the nomadic Bedouin did not have any pride regarding
this. However, the urban elites of the country continued to promote their ideology Renton, J.
(2007, pp. 645-667). Researches in this line has suggested that the Arab identity was awakened
with the Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt. However, this point has been refuted and presented with
other explanation where it claims that the Arab identity awakening took place with the Ottoman
Turks who helped to shape the nation. Arab nationalism was also developed by the Great Arab
Revolt of 1916-18 (Phillips, 2012, pp. 8-33).
In around 1900, the Arab nationalism totally took a turn during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in
1990. It was also followed by the Gulf War that changed the course of Arabism. The new
Arabism became completely different from the old Arabism which has many distinguishing
features (Pföstl & Kymlicka, 2015, pp. 2489-2498). The Old Arabism was state led whereas New
Arabism began to be market-driven. The once ideologically driven society took a steep turn
where now the agenda is focused on how many televisions product can be sold. The other
changes that took place is the fall of the old Arabism, while the new Arabism started to include a

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layer of Arab identity along with the official identity discourses (Beinin et al., 2016, p. 90).
Moreover, Islam has a great role to play in the making of the new Arab identity, however, it is
more cultural than political Islamism (Phillips, 2014, pp. 141-144). The New Arabism also
accepts the role of the state, while strengthening the Arab community in whole.
Conclusion
The Arabs have walked a long way to maintain its identity. It has evolved a lot through ages,
with various incidents, which changed the due course of history. In reference to the above
analysis, it can also be said that the Arab nationalism is a significant aspect in the history of the
world. They maintain their unique identity, culture, language and are not influenced by the
Western culture.

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