Constantine Zurayk: An Arab for the Twentieth Century

This book discusses the life and thought of one of the most prominent Arab personalities of the twentieth century, a man who made major contributions to Arab nationalist thought, as well as to historical and educational thinking in the Arab world and beyond. The book's opening chapter examines Constantine Zurayk's life and work in the context of modern Arab history, particularly his political involvement in the Arab nationalist movement. It also deals with his public service as an ambassador and his contributions to building educational institutions, as president of Damascus University, president of the International Association of Universities, and acting president of the American University of Beirut (where he spent most of his career). The book goes on to assess Zurayk's part in laying the groundwork for Arab nationalist thought, his theory of the future of civilization and progress in Arab societies, and his contribution to the advancement of historical teaching and research. The book's concluding chapter analyzes the relationship between Zurayk's thought and the various nationalist and other intellectual currents that have swept through the modern Arab world, and appraises his intellectual legacy in the context of the Arab historical experience in the twentieth century.