Authentic Identity or Modern Construction? Revisiting the Evolution of Arab Nationalism

ABSTRACT The article seeks to determine whether Arab nationalism is a product of the modern age or an ancient and authentic phenomenon rooted in Arab history. The existing literature generally argues that it originated within Beirut's Christian Arab society in the mid‐nineteenth century. However, there is also considerable evidence suggesting that Arabs possessed nationalist sentiments toward non‐Arab nations even in earlier periods. They possessed an “asabiyyah” tradition that can be regarded as an authentic form of nationalism, although it remained confined to tribal structures rather than evolving into a unified force. Islam played a key role in uniting the dispersed Arab tribes through the concept of “ ummah ”, leading to the emergence of the first unified Arab state in history; the ummah also evokes a type of nationalism which brings authority and unification for the Arab tribes. The new religion and its ummah concept enabled them to rule vast territories for centuries. The article examines how the Arabs' perception of external threats contributed to the formation of their national identity in early periods, as well as the role of Islam in unifying the Arab tribes under a common banner, establishing a collective defence mechanism, forming a state and ultimately transforming it into an empire through the case studies.