The Multiple Identities of the Middle East

Examinig religion,race and language, country, nation and state, Lewis traces the rapid evolution of the identities of the Middle Eastern peoples, from the collapse of the centuries-old Ottoman Empire in 1918 to today´s clash of old and new allegiances. He shows how, during the twentieth century, imported Western ideas such a liberalism, fascism, socialism, patriotism, and nationalism have transformed Middle Easterner´s ancient notions of community, their self-perceptions, and their aspirations.