Everyday Arab Identity: The Daily Reproduction of the Arab World

225 Pages·2013·3.71 MB·English

by  Christopher Phillips

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Whether through government propaganda or popular R e
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transnational satellite television channels, Arab
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of belonging to their own state and a broader Arab E d
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world on a daily basis. Looking through the lens of G a
The Daily Reproduction
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nationalism theory, this book examines how and why y
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Arab identity continues to be reproduced in today’s T of the Arab World
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Middle East, and how that Arab identity interacts with D
strengthening ties to religion and the state. IE r
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Drawing on case studies of two ideologically different IN b

Arab regimes, Ba’athist Syria and Hashemite Jordan, M

Christopher Phillips explores both the implications this ID I
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everyday Arab identity will have on Western policy Christopher Phillips
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towards the Middle East and its real life impact on

E n foreword by Fawaz Gerges
international relations. A
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Offering an original perspective on this topical
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issue, this book will be of interest to academics and R y
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practitioners working on the Arab world and political
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affairs, as well as students of International Relations, O
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Political Science and the Middle East, notably Syria I
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and Jordan, and policymakers in the region. C
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Christopher Phillips is Lecturer in the International
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Relations of the Middle East at Queen Mary, University
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of London. He has lived in Syria for several years is
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and was formerly Syria and Jordan specialist for the o
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Economist Intelligence Unit. Everyday Arab Identity is e
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his first book. P
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MIDDLE EAST STUDIES / POLITICAL SCIENCE / ANTHROPOLOGY
www.routledge.com
Cover image: © Getty Images
Everyday Arab Identity
Whether through government propaganda or popular transnational satellite
television channels, Arab citizens encounter a discourse that reinforces a sense of
belonging to their own state and a broader Arab world on a daily basis. Looking
through the lens of nationalism theory, this book examines how and why Arab
identity continues to be reproduced in today’s Middle East, and how that
Arab identity interacts with strengthening ties to religion and the state.
Drawing on case studies of two ideologically different Arab regimes, Ba’athist
Syria and Hashemite Jordan, Christopher Phillips explores both the implications
this everyday Arab identity will have on Western policy towards the Middle East
and its real life impact on international relations.
Offering an original perspective on this topical issue, this book will be of
interest to academics and practitioners working on the Arab world and political
affairs, as well as students of International Relations, Political Science and the
Middle East, notably Syria and Jordan, and policymakers in the region.
Christopher Phillips is Lecturer in the International Relations of the Middle
East at Queen Mary, University of London. He has lived in Syria for several
years and was formerly Syria and Jordan specialist for the Economist Intelligence
Unit. Everyday Arab Identity is his first book.
Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics
1. Algeria in Transition 12. Politics and Violence in
Ahmed Aghrout with Redha M. Israel/Palestine
Bougherira Lev Luis Grinberg
2. Palestinian Refugee 13. Intra-JewishConflictinIsrael
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Edited by Michael Dumper
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3. The International Politics of Palestinian Conflict
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Arshin Adib-Moghaddam Reiter and Leonard Hammer
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Palestinian Intifada Israel
Eitan Y. Alimi Edited by Dan Avnon and Yotam
Benziman
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in Turkey 17. Islamists and Secularists in
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Sasan Fayazmanesh 18. Political Succession in the
Arab World
8. Civil Society in Algeria Anthony Billingsley
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Edited by Marlies Casier and Joost 39. The Arab State
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Sapir Handelman Christopher Phillips

Everyday Arab Identity
The Daily Reproduction of the Arab World
Christopher Phillips
In Memory of Fred Halliday (1946–2010)
Firstpublished2013
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
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©2013ChristopherPhillips
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Phillips,Christopher,Ph.D.
EverydayArabidentity:thedailyreproductionoftheArab
world/ChristopherPhillips.
p.cm.–(RoutledgestudiesinMiddleEasternpolitics;47)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.Arabnationalism–Casestudies.2.Arabism–Casestudies.3.Arabcountries–
Politicsandgovernment–1945—Casestudies.4.Arabnationalism–Syria.
5.Arabism–Syria.6.Arabnationalism–Jordan.7.Arabism–Jordan.I.Title.
DS63.6.P552012
320.540917’4927–dc23
2012009862
ISBN:978-0-415-68488-0(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-09674-1(ebk)
TypesetinBaskerville
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
Contents
List of figures and tables ix
Note on translation and transliteration x
Acknowledgements xi
Foreword xiii
FAWAZGERGES
Map of Syria and Jordan and the Levant xv
Introduction: Everyday Arabism 1
1 Defining Arabism: contemporary Arab identity
and the state 8
Arabism today: contested identity 10
Arabism and state nationalism 20
Everyday Arabism: theory and methodology 30
Conclusion 39
2 Building Arabism: identity-building in Syria and Jordan 40
Building Syria and Jordan 41
Personality cults and identity-building 49
Second generation cults in Syria and Jordan 56
Conclusion 70
3 National Arabism: flagging identity on state television 72
Television in Syria and Jordan 73
A week of television 78
Conclusion 98
4 Transnational Arabism: Arab satellite television’s
new discourse 100
The satellite television debate 102
New Arabism and satellite news 105
Arabism and satellite entertainment shows 109
viii Contents
Satellite sport and Arabism: a case study of Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the
2008 Summer Olympic Games 119
Conclusion 129
5 Receiving Arabism: everyday opinions from Syria
and Jordan 131
Methodology 132
Arab, state and religious identity 135
Everyday personality cults 144
State television 147
Transnational Arab satellite television 152
Conclusion 158
Conclusion: Arabism’s future 161
Notes 171
Bibliography 192
Index 203
Figures and tables
Figures
2.1 ‘The eye doctor in the eyes’, Aleppo 2009 57
2.2 Guild of Trade and Industry of Lattakia, Lattakia 2009 58
2.3 Pharmacy sign, Lattakia 2009 58
2.4 ‘Syria: God is her protector, Assad is her Shepherd’,
Damascus 2009 62
2.5 ‘Yes for the beating heart of Arabism’, Damascus 2009 62
2.6 Queen Alia International airport, Amman 2009 64
2.7 Abdullah in football shirt, Amman 2009 65
2.8 Abdullah, Zarqa 2009 65
2.9 ‘We are all Jordan; Municipality of Greater Irbid’, Irbid 2009 66
2.10 Abdullah ‘Municipality of Greater Irbid’, Irbid 2009 67
2.11 Hashemite dynasty, Zarqa 2009 67
Tables
3.1 Subjects of news bulletins on sampled Jordan TV and Syria
TV broadcasts 81
3.2 Subjects of sports bulletins on sampled Jordan TV and Syria
TV broadcasts 84
3.3 Subjects of economics news bulletins on sampled Jordan TV
and Syria TV broadcasts 86
3.4 Subjects of advertisement breaks on sampled Jordan TV and
Syria TV broadcasts 89
3.5 Sampled Jordan TV discussion shows 91
3.6 Sampled Syria TV discussion shows 92
3.7 Sampled Jordan TV and Syria TV interview shows 93
4.1 Example of Al-Jazeera’s medal table from 24 August 2008 123
4.2 Content of sampled Al-Jazeera sport bulletin headlines 123
4.3 Content of sampled Al-Jazeera sport bulletin stories 124
4.4 Al-Jazeera sports stories on 13 August 2008 125