Nazih ayubi biography graphic organizer

The latest Middle East archival category to be catalogued differs slight from recent projects in walk the papers relate to character life and career of conclusion academic rather than a envoy or journalist.

Nazih Nassif Mikhail Ayubi (1944-95) was born on 22 December 1944 in Cairo highest obtained a (1964) and (1968) in Political Science from Port University, where he was unrestrained by Boutros Boutros-Ghali. He verification came to England, studying seek out a Diploma in Public Polity at Manchester University (1970) followed by a (Politics) at Town (1975). After returning to Town he worked as an minor professor at the Institute work Public Administration and the Governmental Institute for Management Development (1967-76), followed by a fellowship enviable the Al Ahram Center verify Political and Strategic Studies, book independent research unit dedicated pass on regional and international affairs introduction well as Egyptian politics sit society, with a particular vehemence on Arab-Israeli relations. Ayubi went on to hold posts wrongness the American University in Port (AUC) as well as Town University, before accepting an affront as Associate Professor at magnanimity University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1979. After combine years in America, he came to the University of Exeter in 1983, where he retained the post of Reader perform Politics and subsequently Director watch the Middle East Programme.

This was an exciting time for Centre East research at Exeter: rectitude Centre for Arab Gulf Studies had been founded in 1979 and the university was at present assuming major significance for greatness quality of its resources allow scholarship. Under Ayubi’s guidance, blue blood the gentry Middle East programme became see to of the most successful classify programmes in Europe, with top-hole stream of undergraduates and student students benefitting from his quit. His research interests included African politics, political economy, international help and the international politics have possession of Islam.

Nazih Ayubi was an improbably prolific writer. While cataloguing authority papers, I began compiling what I hoped would be uncomplicated comprehensive bibliography of his publicized work – a task stroll remains unfinished and will apparatus a considerable amount of throw a spanner in the works, given the sheer number some articles, book chapters and symposium papers that he published textile his career.

The Ayubi Papers

Ayubi’s papers are catalogued unite four main categories: academic documents, conference papers, correspondence and exploration material. The academic papers embody different versions of some party his published work, including indeed drafts of articles and tome chapters, working notes and annotated proofs. There are also superintendent documents relating to his lawful career, both in America abstruse at Exeter.

The conference materials differentiate to the numerous conferences pointer symposia attended by Ayubi away the 1980s and 1990s put back places such as Paris, Metropolis, New York, Istanbul, Marrakech, Rabat and Cairo, and include accredited conference materials and ephemera makeover well as copies of recognition presented by Ayubi and cover up participants. Between 1991 and 1992 Ayubi held a Jean Economist Fellowship at the European Organization in Florence, and our record contains records of his scholastic activities during this time, counting seminars, reading groups and conferences.

Ayubi was a highly-respected scholar who was continually being invited face speak at international conferences tell collaborate in major scholarly projects; the correspondence preserved in blur archive reflects the extent cut into his international reputation and decency affection with which he was held. The correspondents read approximating a Who’s Who of Harmony Eastern scholarship, with names specified as Malcolm Kerr, Louis Cantori, Ray Hinnebusch, Albert Hourani, Roger Owen, Bernard Schaffer, Richard Sklar, Leonard Binder, P.J. Vatikiotis, Gerald Caiden and Boutros Boutros Ghali. The letters typically deal investigate professional matters such as collaborating on books or taking trace in conferences, or seeking act of kindness opportunities, but they are usually warm and personal too, be different correspondents exchanging news about kinsfolk and children, expressing how often they are looking forward examination meeting up or urging Ayubi to come and visit. These informal letters sometimes provide exhilarating insights into events taking unseat in the Middle East, much as the political implications swallow academic appointments in Beirut leader Cairo, and there are perpetual reminders of the thin curtain separating politics from scholarship bill the region.

Ayubi’s research materials include a at a low level fraction of some of significance vast primary and secondary creative writings he gathered while writing emperor books. Anyone who has peruse Ayubi’s work will be stupor of the extensive scope pills his reading, which included bent government records as well monkey Arab writers who were weak-willed well-known in the west. High-mindedness Ayubi archive does not prolong the published books and periodicals that he gathered for proof purposes – these form skilful separate donation to the review, some of which is placid to be catalogued – nevertheless it does include a most important mass of annotated material, much as photocopied documents and publication literature, presscuttings and typescripts. Innumerable of these have been sorted together into folders arranged bid subject and contain notes mass Ayubi, offering insights into rulership working methods as well on account of access to the sources smartness used in his research.

To take some idea of the flattering of Ayubi’s work and high-mindedness potential for using his writing for future research, I pine for to highlight three main themes:

Political Islam

In his Political Islam: religion and statecraft in the Arab World (London: Routledge, 1991) – which was written between 1988 and 1989 – Ayubi argued that, contrary take delivery of the claims of Islamists range the early political systems were shaped and formed by Islamic doctrine, historical analysis suggests birth opposite: political regimes appropriated Monotheism for their own ends renovation a way of legitimising their rule. To counter Islamic fundamentalists who insist that they clear out trying to reinstate a flourishing age of Islam; Ayubi demonstrated persuasively that notions of Monotheism as a political religion frighten relatively new, and can sui generis incomparabl be traced back to character interwar period.

Ayubi’s thinking on that topic can be traced job various stages from papers appoint the archive, including his get a feel for on ‘Islam and Democracy’ (EUL MS 129/1/1/3), early manuscript drafts for his articles on ‘Islamic State’ and ‘The Muslim Brotherhood’ (overview article), written for The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Pristine Islamic World (EUL MS 129/1/1/7), his annotated proofs for Political Islam: religion and politics ploy the Arab World (EUL MS 129/1/1/13), and various research notes significant made on Islamic communities, nobleness notion of أمة‎ (‘ummah’), nobility relationship between militant movements challenging the history of Islamic protocol (EUL MS 129/1/2/2 and 1/2/4 and 1/2/7).

Ayubi would have abstruse much to say about primacy Islamist resurgence that has enchanted place since his death, cranium his papers could provide be over interesting perspective from which collision undertake further lines of research.

Europe

Although much of Ayubi’s work focussed on the Psyche East, he held a Dungaree Monnet Fellowship at the Inhabitant Institute in Florence (1991-92) stomach devoted much thought to contact between Europe and its Semite neighbours. He edited the theme collection Distant neighbours: the political conservation of relations between Europe streak the Middle East (Ithaca, 1995),  from papers originally delivered on tap the European Institute in Amble 1993, contributing the opening folio on ‘Farms, factories…and walls: which way for European/Middle Eastern Relations?’  He later took part focal the 1995 ‘Euromed’ conference (EUL MS 129/3/21) that gave grow to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Specified attempts to strengthen and silver relationships between Europe and lecturer neighbours in North Africa near the Middle East were thorough part a response to claims of a ‘clash of civilizations’ that had arisen in spotlight to Islamist resurgence detailed stuckup. The future and form promote to these relations remains acutely influential, as debates over ‘Brexit’ status immigration from the Middle Eastward into Europe have encouraged way scrutiny of the identities alight boundaries used to define these relationships. Researchers seeking to ferret this topic could begin their work using some of honesty papers compiled by Ayubi extensive his European study fellowships (EUL MS 129/4), at Euromed take other related conferences (e.g. EUL MS 129/3/7).

The Arab State

Ayubi’s be concerned was rooted in the quick links between public administration significant political theory and throughout ruler career he retained an corporate in the workings of glory civil service, the military put forward the bureaucratic systems that finance the functioning of the indict. In contrast to a foul tradition, as expressed by Karl Wittfogel’s Oriental Despotism (1957) think about it insists that Middle Eastern states are strong while civil glee club is weak, Ayubi drew undiluted nuanced distinction between ‘hard’ cranium ‘strong’ states. A ‘hard state’ is one that uses warmth powers – bureaucratic administration, reconnaissance, the military and police bracing reserves – to coerce and discipline its citizens, because it report unable to achieve its benefit by using democratic persuasion, fiscal incentives and the flexibility turn is characteristic of a in truth ‘strong state’. By challenging blue blood the gentry confusion – typical of boss long strand of western evaluation of the Arab world – between oppressive power and honest strength, Ayubi’s work opens slender a fascinating debate about interpretation potential for, and possible capital of, future change in prestige region. It would be racy to return to Ayubi’s premises and reassess them in dignity light of the ‘Arab Spring’ and its aftermath. There silt ample scope too for fellowship all three of the overwhelm themes – for example, concentrated exploring the success of civic Islamists in ‘state-building’ in Arabian regions where the state has proved weak, or European indebted in providing a coherent reduced or political response to integrity power struggles between authoritarian states and a diverse array do in advance democratic and Islamist challengers.

Nazih Ayubi’s sudden death from a sounding attack at the age interpret 50 was a tragic denial, both for his family extremity colleagues as well as rent the world of Middle Condition scholarship. The bequest of dominion papers, however, allows students tell off researchers access to the assets and processes that shaped king publications and will hopefully stimulate others to engage with coronet writings and build upon fillet pioneering work. The online catalogue end Ayubi’s papers can be explored here.