Albert Hourani (1915–1993)

CUPRINS

1. Lista hartilor - pag. 7
2. Prefata - pag. 9
3. Prefata (2012) (Malise Ruthven) - pag. 11
4. Multumiri - pag. 17
5. Nota autorului - pag. 18
6. Nota traducatorului - pag. 19
7. Prolog - pag. 21

PARTEA I – CREAREA UNEI LUMI (SECOLELE AL VII-LEA – AL X-LEA)

8. Capitolul 1. O noua putere intr-o lume veche - pag. 27
9. Capitolul 2. Formarea unui imperiu - pag. 39
10. Capitolul 3. Formarea unei societati - pag. 52
11. Capitolul 4. Cristalizarea islamului - pag. 69

PARTEA a II-a – SOCIETATILE ARABO-MUSULMANE (SECOLELE AL XI-LEA – AL XV-LEA)

12. Capitolul 5. Lumea arabo-musulmana - pag. 87
13. Capitolul 6. Zona rurala - pag. 99
14. Capitolul 7. Viata oraselor - pag. 108
15. Capitolul 8. Orasele si conducatorii lor - pag. 125
16. Capitolul 9. Cai ale islamului - pag. 139
17. Capitolul 10. Ulama si cultura lor - pag. 148
18. Capitolul 11. Directii de gandire divergente - pag. 159
19. Capitolul 12. Cultura de la palat si cultura populara - pag. 172

PARTEA a III-a – PERIOADA OTOMANA (SECOLELE AL XVI-LEA – AL XVIII-LEA)

20. Capitolul 13. Imperiul Otoman - pag. 187
21. Capitolul 14. Societatile otomane - pag. 204
22. Capitolul 15. Schimbarea echilibrului de putere in secolul al XVIII-lea - pag. 218

PARTEA a IV-a – EPOCA IMPERIILOR EUROPENE (1800 – 1860)

23. Capitolul 16. Puterea europeana si guvernele reformiste (1800 – 1860) - pag. 231
24. Capitolul 17. Imperiile europene si elitele domoinante (1860 – 1914) - pag. 242
25. Capitolul 18. Cultura imperialismului si reforma - pag. 258
26. Capitolul 19. Apogeul puterii europene (1914 – 1939) - pag. 270
27. Capitolul 20. Noi moduri de viata si de gandire (1914 – 1939) - pag. 284

PARTEA a V-a – EPOCA STATELOR-NATIUNI (INCEPAND CU 1939)

28. Capitolul 21. Sfarsitul imperiilor (1939 – 1962) - pag. 301
29. Capitolul 22. Socientati in schimbare (anii 40 si 50 ai secolului XX) - pag. 316
30. Capitolul 23. Cultura nationala (anii 40 si 50 ai secolului XX) - pag. 329
31. Capitolul 24. Apogeul arabismului (anii 50 si 60 ai secolului XX) - pag. 338
32. Capitolul 25. Unitatea si dezbinarea arabe (din 1967) - pag. 349
33. Capitolul 26. O neliniste a spiritelor (din 1967) - pag. 363

34. Postfata (2012) - pag. 383
35. Harti - pag. 413
36. Familia profetului - pag. 437
37. Imam-ii siiti - pag. 438
38. Califii - pag. 439
39. Dinastiile importante - pag. 441
40. Familiile domnitoare in secolele al XIX-lea si XX - pag. 442
41. Hasimitii - pag. 444
42. Note - pag. 445
43. Bibliografie - pag. 453
44. Index de termeni - pag. 489
45. Index - pag. 493… (altro)

This is a reasonably interesting book on the thoughts of various 19th and early 20th century Arab thinkers on governance and secular modernization. These thoughts were for the most part inspired by events in Europe, but Europe remains firmly in the background in this book. The author usually just notes that a particular thinker spent so an so many years in France before returning home, and instead explains in some detail how the person in question wanted to reform his own country. The legitimacy of the Ottoman empire, the preconditions of national solidarity, and nationalism (in the latter part of the period, during the birth of independent nation states in Arab lands) take center stage. It seems like most of the plans and ideas presented in this book did not incite much enthusiasm among a broader public and political developments didn't proceed in the way that any of these authors expected, but it's nevertheless interesting to learn about their worldview.

Political ideas are one central theme of this book and religion is another. Most of the writers presented consider these two themes inseparable. Again and again they return to the same dilemma: modernization can be good only insofar as it accommodates Islam, but Islam cannot be reformed or modernized. There's a passage somewhere in the book about one of these "modern" Arab thinkers (I forgot which one) who considers long and hard if those who convert away from Islam should be allowed to live or not. Others are much more tolerant, but I think this illustrates well how the strength of islamic tradition shackled the development of new ideas on tolerance and freedom in the Arab world. Even enterprising intellectuals with full freedom of expression struggled to reconcile their religious beliefs with political, economic and technical development. In the face of such a fundamental obstacle to modernization, it seems to be no wonder that Arab societies have developed so fitfully and achieved so little political freedom in the 100 years that have passed after these ideas were published.… (altro)