Cambridge Companion to Modern Arab Culture

Dwight F. Reynolds brings together a collection of essays byleading international scholars to provide a comprehensive andaccessible survey of modern Arab culture, from the early nineteenthto the twenty-first century. The chapters survey key issuesnecessary to any understanding of the modern Arab World: the roleof the various forms of the Arabic language in modern culture andidentity; the remarkable intellectual transformation undergoneduring the 'Nahda' or 'Arab Renaissance' of the late nineteenth andearly twentieth century, the significant role played by ethnic andreligious minorities, and the role of law and constitutions. Otherchapters on poetry, narrative, theatre, cinema and television, art,architecture, humour, folklore, and food offer fresh perspectivesand correct negative stereotypes that emerge from viewing Arabculture primarily through the lens of politics, terrorism,religion, and economics.