George Antonius

George Habib Antonius, CBE (hon.) (1891-1941) (جورج أنطونيوس) was one of the first historians of Arab nationalism. Born of Lebanese-Egyptian parentage and a Christian (Greek Orthodox) Arab, he served in the British Mandate of Palestine. His 1938 book "The Arab Awakening" was written as Palestine was slipping from Arab control. His book generated an ongoing debate over such issues as the origins of Arab nationalism, the significance of the Arab Revolt of 1916, and the machinations behind the post - World War I political settlement in the Middle East.

Antonius traced Arab nationalism to the reign of Mehmet Ali Pasha in Egypt. He argued that Arab nationalism was a product of the West, especially of Protestant missionaries from Britain and the United States. He saw the role of the American University of Beirut (originally the Syrian Protestant College) as central to this development.

George Antonius is viewed as the founder of modern Arab nationalist history. According to Martin Kramer his The Arab Awakening 'became the preferred textbook for successive generations of British and American historians and their students' [ [http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg/Ambition.htm | Ambition, Arabism, and George Antonius] ] . Some modern historians, like Kramer disagree with Antonius' work, rejecting certain conclusions he has made. Other historians, such as Susan Boyle, have documented his biography and discuss the historical accuracy of "The Arab Awakening" [cite book|title="The Betrayal of Palestine: The Story of George Antonius"|author=Boyle, Susan|publisher=Westview, Boulder, Colorado Edition|year=2001|page=374|isbn=0813337593]

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg/Ambition.htm Ambition, Arabism, and George Antonius] by Martin Kramer
* [http://sitemaker.umich.edu/emes/sourcebook/da.data/82633/FileSource/1938_antonius.pdf| Documents of Western Betrayal and Arab Opposition from "The Arab Awakening"]