Empire and Jihad, Neil Faulkner
Empire and Jihad, Neil Faulkner
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Empire and Jihad
The Anglo-Arab Wars of 1870-1920

Author: Neil Faulkner

Narrator: Paul Woodson

Unabridged: 18 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/28/2021


Synopsis

A panoramic, provocative account of the clash between British imperialism and Arab jihadism in Africa between 1870 and 1920

The Ottoman Sultan called for a "Great Jihad" against the Entente powers at the start of the First World War. He was building on half a century of conflict between British colonialism and the people of the Middle East and North Africa. Resistance to Western violence increasingly took the form of radical Islamic insurgency.

Ranging from the forests of Central Africa to the deserts of Egypt, Sudan, and Somaliland, Neil Faulkner explores a fatal collision between two forms of oppression, one rooted in the ancient slave trade, the other in modern "coolie" capitalism. He reveals the complex interactions between anti-slavery humanitarianism, British hostility to embryonic Arab nationalism, "war on terror" moral panics, and Islamist revolt. Far from being an enduring remnant of the medieval past, or an essential expression of Muslim identity, Faulkner argues that "Holy War" was a reactionary response to the violence of modern imperialism.

About Neil Faulkner

Neil Faulkner is the editor of Military History Matters and codirector of the Great Arab Revolt Project. He is the author of fifteen books, including Lawrence of Arabia's War and A Radical History of the World.


Reviews

Self-assured British hubris versus Arab fanaticism is at the center of this very captivating account of the Anglo-Arab relationships and their many bloody and useless conflicts from the early 1870s to the cursed Versailles treaty of 1919 and the inevitable collapse of the Ottoman Empire. An engrossi......more

Goodreads review by eHead

Decent book about somewhat overlooked historical events. There is an emphasis on military campaign details with a bit of geopolitical analysis. At the end there is a comparison with recent events which is rather simplistic and amounts to little more than a childish vent against capitalism, but don't......more

Goodreads review by Umar

An informative read with a lot of detailed history of the expansion of British colonialism into Africa and Muslim forces of opposition to that conquest. The major flaw of this book is Neil Faulkner is a Marxist ideologue with a disdain for any form of Muslim resistance and politics and this colors h......more

Goodreads review by Chase

From 1870-1920, how did Britain’s imperialist adventures impact Egypt, Sudan, Zanzibar, and Somalia? Author Neil Faulkner's well-researched and fascinating history book, "Empire and Jihad" answers this question and more. This is my first book by the author and I was surprised to learn that he is a M......more