The Politics and Poetics of Ameen Rihani: The Humanist Ideology of an Arab-American Intellectual and Activist (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

Ameen Rihani was a pioneering Arab-American writer and activist, a leading figure in the development of the 'mahjar' literary movement and the most prominent Arab humanist intellectual of the twentieth century. Undertaking a comprehensive and critical reading of Rihani's Arabic and English writings, Nijmeh Hajjar examines the dialectical link between Rihani's life experiences and his ideas and activism. He explores Rihani's secular humanist vision of Arab progress, democracy and social justice, and concern for respectful relations between the Arab world and the West. This fascinating illustration of an Arab-American encounter contributes to post-colonial discourse and provides a balancing counterpoint to the predominant ideological clash of civilizations paradigms.