James L. Gelvin, a Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of California, has published various literature regarding the revolutionary events which characterize modern Middle East. This essay will review Gelvin’s, The Arab Uprising: What Everyone Needs to Know. Gelvin utilizes an easily comprehendible question-and-answer format, as it entails a logical progression, beginning with “what is the Arab world?” to “when will we be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprising?” In his writing, Gelvin discusses the revolutionary protests throughout the region, since 2010, which have contributed immensely to the change in the Arab World today. His book explores the various courses of action many uprisings have chosen to take
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The book employs a question-and-answer format, which assess the question at hand and offers a clear and concise response. As previously mentioned, Gelvin writes according to a chronological order. Beginning with “what is the Arab world?” he effectively introduces a topic that may be entirely new for some readers. Rather than assuming his readers are already acquainted with the topic at hand and hold some sort of background knowledge, Gelvin’s introduction to his arguments is written on the assumption that his target audience has little to no previous knowledge regarding the Arab world, its history, and its important global presence. Particularly, for myself, my knowledge regarding the Middle East and the Arab World was limited to present-day conflicts, such as the crisis in Aleppo and the issues surrounding the Gaza Strip. However, my understanding was limited to what is happening as opposed to why. Accordingly, Gelvin provided readers such as myself, literature that is rich with historical context; serving as a useful introduction to the history and politics of the region. As a historian, Gelvin is inclined to build a strong connection between the past and the present, rather than provide readers with a potential outcome or future. Therefore, he focuses a great deal on demonstrating the connections between the modern-day Arab world and the Arab …show more content…
The Arab Uprising: What Everyone Needs to Know, offers readers a crucial historical background that answers the question of why and how the modern Middle East came to be. For those who may be unfamiliar with this subject matter, Gelvin’s literature connects the present day Arab world with its past, creating a historical connection to better understand the region. His writing is both informative and straightforward, and allows readers to cultivate their own opinions as he provides historical facts and quantitative
The book employs a question-and-answer format, which assess the question at hand and offers a clear and concise response. As previously mentioned, Gelvin writes according to a chronological order. Beginning with “what is the Arab world?” he effectively introduces a topic that may be entirely new for some readers. Rather than assuming his readers are already acquainted with the topic at hand and hold some sort of background knowledge, Gelvin’s introduction to his arguments is written on the assumption that his target audience has little to no previous knowledge regarding the Arab world, its history, and its important global presence. Particularly, for myself, my knowledge regarding the Middle East and the Arab World was limited to present-day conflicts, such as the crisis in Aleppo and the issues surrounding the Gaza Strip. However, my understanding was limited to what is happening as opposed to why. Accordingly, Gelvin provided readers such as myself, literature that is rich with historical context; serving as a useful introduction to the history and politics of the region. As a historian, Gelvin is inclined to build a strong connection between the past and the present, rather than provide readers with a potential outcome or future. Therefore, he focuses a great deal on demonstrating the connections between the modern-day Arab world and the Arab …show more content…
The Arab Uprising: What Everyone Needs to Know, offers readers a crucial historical background that answers the question of why and how the modern Middle East came to be. For those who may be unfamiliar with this subject matter, Gelvin’s literature connects the present day Arab world with its past, creating a historical connection to better understand the region. His writing is both informative and straightforward, and allows readers to cultivate their own opinions as he provides historical facts and quantitative