State and Society in Syria and Lebanon

Abstract

The aim of this book, as pointed out in the introduction, is to explore the unfolding and evolving of "state institutions, socioeconomic structures, cultural policies and ideological currents" from the end of the Ottoman Empire until the present in Syria and Lebanon. Although laudable, the book falls short of this lofty aim, for the arguments presented in several essays are not developed fully while others contain a great deal of rhetoric. Nonetheless, some articles deserve the readers' close attention. The first article is by Abdul-Karim Rafeq, a prominent Syrian historian, who challenges from the outset the notion that Arab nationalism appeared in the nineteenth century due to the European impact. In a highly nuanced argument, he traces the development of identity among the Syrian ulama under Ottoman rule through their defence of the "rightful application of the Islamic Shari'ah [which they] were highly critical of any breaches of it" (p. 2). Moreover, he adds that they sided with the peasantry against the unjust application of Ottoman land grants, which reduced the peasants to little more than serfs. His initial arguments are both well researched and highly documented. After a short discussion of the tolerance that existed between the Syrian Christians and the Muslim rulers, Rafeq turns his attention to Amir Faysal's attempt to establish an Arab government in postOttoman Syria ...