The antonius papers andthe Arab awakening, over fifty years on

Abstract

What can be the purpose of writing about George Antonius more than 50 years after the publication of The Arab Awakening, when apparently everything that was worth analysing and reviewing has already been done by other writers?' Why dwell on the issue again if not for the fact that the book itself and its theme - the rise and establishment of nationalism as the leading doctrine in the Arab countries after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire - still remains a source of polemics among those who study the modern history of the Middle East, its traps, dead ends and pitfalls? The answer is that the consequences of intricate diplomatic exchanges before and after World War I, or the disorientation and confusion they created for future generations, still evoke fervent discussion. The thesis there developed still stimulates scholars to rethink its central themes and their political implications.2 By following this debate, we are reminded of the complexity of the underlying notions (in their current meaning as well as in their original one), and compelled to reconsider some of the assumptions at their basis which have, over the decades, been accepted as indisputable and uncontested evidence. One of the principal builders of this construction was, as is widely known, George Antonius. However, amazingly enough, no thoroughly conducted analysis of his personal archive has yet been published which would end the discussion on whether he knew a great deal more than he exposed in his book. The leading studies on the subject analyse The Arab Awakening by comparing its text to some of the sources revealed officially after its publication, but a number of questions regarding the discrepancies between Antonius' arguments and the documents in his possession still remain unanswered.3 Some answers to these questions are to be found in the papers assembled at the Israel State Archives after Antonius' death. A glance at these papers can bridge the gap between assumptions and evidence and shed some light on controversial points in Antonius' argumentation. British official documents, private Western and Arab archives, secondary sources and oral accounts were at the basis of Antonius' analysis.4 These