Middle Eastern society experienced sudden and profound change in the 19th century under the impact of European expansion and influence. But as Western ideas about politics, technology, and culture began to infiltrate Arab society, the old language proved to be an inadequate vehicle for transmitting these alien concepts from abroad. In this study of the rise of modern Arabic, Ayalon examines 19th-century linguistic change in the Eastern Arab world as a mirror of changing Arab perceptions and responses to the West as well as a guide to the emergence of modern Arabic concepts, institutions, and practices. Focusing on the realm of political discourse, Ayalon looks at a wide array of evidence--local chronicles, travel accounts, translations of European writings, Arab political treatises, newspapers and periodicals, and dictionaries--to show how shifts in the color, tone, and meaning of the Arab vocabulary reflected a new socio-political and cultural reality.

Language and Change in the Arab Middle East: The Evolution of Modern Arabic Political Discourse (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

Arts & Photography

Ayalon, Ami

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

Newspapers and the practice of journalism began in the Middle East in the nineteenth century and evolved during a period of accelerated sociopolitical and cultural change. Inspired by a foreign model, the Arab press developed in its own way, in terms of its political and social roles, cultural function, and the public image of those who engaged in it. Ami Ayalon draws on a broad array of primary sources--a century of Arabic newspapers, biographies and memoirs of Arab journalists and politicians, and archival material--as well as a large body of published studies, to portray the remarkable vitality of Arab journalism. He explores the press as a Middle Eastern institution during its formative century before World War II and the circumstances that shaped its growth, tracing its impact, in turn, on local historical developments. After treating the major phases in chronological sequence, he looks closely at more specific aspects: the relations between press and state; newspapers and their audience; the press and traditional cultural norms; economic aspects of the trade; and journalism as a new profession in Arab society.

The Press in the Arab Middle East: A History (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

Reading Palestine: Printing and Literacy, 1900-1948

Prior to the twentieth century, Arab society in Palestine was predominantly illiterate, with most social and political activities conducted through oral communication. There were no printing presses, no book or periodical production, and no written signs in public places. But a groundswell of change rapidly raised the region's literacy rates, a fascinating transformation explored for the first time in Reading Palestine.Addressing an exciting aspect of Middle Eastern history as well as the power of the printed word itself, Reading Palestine describes how this hurried process intensified the role of literacy in every sphere of community life. Ami Ayalon examines Palestine's development of a modern educational system in conjunction with the emergence of a print industry, libraries and reading clubs, and the impact of print media on urban and rural populations. Drawn from extensive archival sources, official reports, autobiographies, and a rich trove of early Palestinian journalism, Reading Palestine provides crucial insight into the dynamic rise of literacy that revolutionized the way Palestinians navigated turbulent political waters.

History

Middle East

University of Texas Press

Prior to the twentieth century, Arab society in Palestine was predominantly illiterate, with most social and political activities conducted through oral communication. There were no printing presses, no book or periodical production, and no written signs in public places. But a groundswell of change rapidly raised the region's literacy rates, a fascinating transformation explored for the first time in Reading Palestine.
Addressing an exciting aspect of Middle Eastern history as well as the power of the printed word itself, Reading Palestine describes how this hurried process intensified the role of literacy in every sphere of community life. Ami Ayalon examines Palestine's development of a modern educational system in conjunction with the emergence of a print industry, libraries and reading clubs, and the impact of print media on urban and rural populations. Drawn from extensive archival sources, official reports, autobiographies, and a rich trove of early Palestinian journalism, Reading Palestine provides crucial insight into the dynamic rise of literacy that revolutionized the way Palestinians navigated turbulent political waters.

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xii, 1988

Shaked, Haim

Westview Press

An annual record for 1989 on the political developments in the Middle East, outlining the events and trends in the region. This volume is designed to be a continuing, up-to-date reference for scholars, researchers and analysts, policymakers, students and journalists.

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xiii, 1989

This annual record of political developments in the Middle East is designed as a continuing, up-to-date reference for scholars, researchers and analysts, policy-makers, students and journalists. It examines in detail the rapidly-changing Middle-Eastern scene in all its complexity. This volume covers the eruption of the Gulf crisis and the war that had dramatic effects on all the countries of the Middle East.

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xiv: 1990

This volume covers the year 1991, a watershed period in the Middle East. The Gulf War pitted regional and international forces of unprecedented might against each other in fierce confrontation. Local and global developments, such as the U.S.-led victory over Iraq and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, brought on the struggle for a new order” in the region. The relevance of Western political modes for Middle Eastern societies was again raised for examination, highlighting the formidable complexities of such options. One of the local responses to these changes was a surge of Islamic sentimentsometimes militant in naturemanifested primarily in Sudan, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and among the Palestinians.Spearheaded by the United States, the Middle East peace process entered a more dynamic phase, as a multilateral peace conference in Madrid ushered in a new era of direct Arab-Israeli negotiations. The Arab system was slow to recover from the painful impact of the Gulf War, and inter-Arab relations continued to be characterized more by mutual vindictiveness than by reconciliation.On the whole, this was a year of considerable flux and uncertainty, with some events promising the inauguration of a new course of development for the region and others passing without long-term impact. The period surveyed in this volume, unless otherwise indicated, is from January to December 1991. In order to avoid excessive repetition while achieving a comprehensive survey of the affairs of each country individually, extensive cross-references have been used.

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xv: 1991

A number of contributors explore contemporary Middle East countries and look at how and if, they have moved forward. It looks at the rise of religious extremists and the Arab-Israeli peace process, stimulated by the change of government in Israel.

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xvi, 1992

This is the eighteenth volume in a series that provides a continuing up-to-date reference work recording the rapidly changing events in an exceptionally complex part of the world. The volume includes for the first time separate country surveys of the North African states of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.On the whole, 1994 was characterized by continuity rather than major changes, with tension between governments and religious or ethnic opposition groups still dominating the political climate, most notably in Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq. As before, it was in the Arab-Israeli arena that the most important changes took place. The 1993 Declaration of Principles signed by Israel and the PLO, and their May 1994 implementation agreement, paved the way for the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, signed in October 1994, and prompted a process of political and economic dialogue between Israel and a number of formerly hostile Arab states. The Israeli-PLO agreements also gave birth to the autonomous Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, widely viewed as a major step toward a possible settlement of their historic conflict.

Middle East Contemporary Survey: Volume Xviii, 1994

Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ayalon, Ami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ayalon, Ami

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ayalon, Ami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Language and Change in the Arab Middle East: The Evolution of Modern Arabic Political Discourse (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

The Press in the Arab Middle East: A History (Studies in Middle Eastern History)

Reading Palestine: Printing and Literacy, 1900-1948

Reading Palestine: Printing and Literacy, 1900-1948

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xii, 1988

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xiii, 1989

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xiv: 1990

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xv: 1991

Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume Xvi, 1992

Middle East Contemporary Survey: Volume Xviii, 1994