Creating Arab origins : Muslim constructions of al-JÄhiliyya and Arab history
The pre-Islamic Arab is a ubiquitous character in classical Arabic literature, but to date, there has been only scant scholarly analysis of his portrayal. In contrast to the dynamic discussions of contemporary Arab identity, the pre-Islamic and early Islamic-era Arabs are commonly treated as a straightforward and culturally homogeneous ethnos. But this simplified 'original Arab' archetype that conjures images of Arabian Bedouin has substantial shortcomings. There is almost no trace of 'Arabs' in the pre-Islamic historical record, and the Arab ethnos seemingly emerges out of nowhere to take centre-stage in Muslim-era Arabic literature. This thesis examines Arabness and Muslim narratives of pre-Islamic history with the dual aims of (a) better understanding Arab origins; and (b) probing the reasons why classicalera Muslims conceptualised Arab ethnic identity in the ways portrayed in their writings. It demonstrates the likelihood that the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula was in fact 'Arab-less', and that Islam catalysed the formation of Arab identity as it is familiar today. These Muslim notions of Arabness were then projected backwards in reconstructions of pre-Islamic history (al-Jahiliyya) to retrospectively unify
Webb, Peter A.
Creating Arab origins : Muslim constructions of al-JÄhiliyya and Arab history. The pre-Islamic Arab is a ubiquitous character in classical Arabic literature, but to date, there has been only scant scholarly analysis of his portrayal. In contrast to the dynamic discussions of contemporary Arab identity, the pre-Islamic and early Islamic-era Arabs are commonly treated as a straightforward and culturally homogeneous ethnos. But this simplified 'original Arab' archetype that conjures images of Arabian Bedouin has substantial shortcomings. There is almost no trace of 'Arabs' in the pre-Islamic historical record, and the Arab ethnos seemingly emerges out of nowhere to take centre-stage in Muslim-era Arabic literature. This thesis examines Arabness and Muslim narratives of pre-Islamic history with the dual aims of (a) better understanding Arab origins; and (b) probing the reasons why classicalera Muslims conceptualised Arab ethnic identity in the ways portrayed in their writings. It demonstrates the likelihood that the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula was in fact 'Arab-less', and that Islam catalysed the formation of Arab identity as it is familiar today. These Muslim notions of Arabness were then projected backwards in reconstructions of pre-Islamic history (al-Jahiliyya) to retrospectively unify
creating arab origin muslim construction arab history pre islamic arab ubiquitous character classical_arabic literature date scant scholarly analysis portrayal contrast dynamic discussion contemporary arab identity pre_islamic early_islamic era arabs commonly treat straightforward culturally homogeneous simplify original arab archetype image substantial shortcoming almost trace arabs pre_islamic historical_record arab seemingly emerge nowhere take centre_stage muslim era arabic_literature examines muslim narratives pre_islamic history dual aim well arab origin probe reason muslims conceptualise arab ethnic_identity way portray writing demonstrates likelihood pre_islamic arabian_peninsula fact arab less islam formation arab identity familiar today muslim notion project backwards reconstruction pre_islamic history unify