Regimes of Mobility: Borders and State Formation in the Middle East, 1918-1946

The study of borderlands in the Middle East has challenged the traditional understanding of the region's emergence, highlighting the importance of global flows and circulations in state- and nation-formation. Regimes of Mobility offers case studies that demonstrate the interconnectedness of borderlands politics throughout the interwar Middle East.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 392 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

However,a closer examination of the borderlands reveals a more complex and multifaceted story. These spaces were not just passive recipients of imperial power,but rather active agents in the shaping of regional politics. Borderlands were not just sites of conflict and violence,but also places of cultural exchange,trade and migration. They were hubs of political and economic power,where rival empires and nation-states competed for influence and control.
The making of the modern Middle East is a complex and multifaceted process that can be reinterpreted by studying its borderlands. Evidence-driven case studies covering Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Transjordan shed light on the role of these liminal spaces in shaping the region's history. Informed by discussions in borderland and mobility studies, as well as global and environmental history, this approach brings late Ottomanists into conversation with historians of the interwar Middle East.

The disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, the establishment of British and French control in its stead, and the nationalist challenges to this colonial scramble are the three complementary historical developments that led to the emergence of the modern Middle East. The introduction of international borders that accompanied this process is often portrayed as an artificial partitioning that brought diplomatic closure to a contested historical space. However, a closer examination of the borderlands reveals a more complex and multifaceted story.

Borderlands were not just passive recipients of imperial power but active agents in the shaping of regional politics. These spaces were not just sites of conflict and violence but also places of cultural exchange, trade, and migration. They were hubs of political and economic power, where rival empires and nation-states competed for influence and control.

In Turkey, for example, the borderlands played a crucial role in the formation of the modern Turkish state. The country's borderlands with Europe, the Middle East, and Asia were the site of intense political and economic activity, as rival empires and nation-states competed for control. The borderlands were also the site of cultural exchange, with the influx of European ideas and technology shaping Turkish society and culture.

In Iraq, the borderlands were the site of the British colonization of the region and the subsequent emergence of Iraqi nationalism. The borderlands were also the site of conflict between rival Arab and Kurdish factions, as well as the British and Iraqi governments. The borderlands were also the site of cultural exchange, with the influx of Arab and Kurdish ideas and technology shaping Iraqi society and culture.

In Syria, the borderlands were the site of the French colonization of the region and the subsequent emergence of Syrian nationalism. The borderlands were also the site of conflict between rival Arab and Kurdish factions, as well as the French and Syrian governments. The borderlands were also the site of cultural exchange, with the influx of French ideas and technology shaping Syrian society and culture.

In Palestine, the borderlands were the site of the British colonization of the region and the subsequent emergence of Palestinian nationalism. The borderlands were also the site of conflict between rival Arab and Jewish factions, as well as the British and Israeli governments. The borderlands were also the site of cultural exchange, with the influx of Arab and Jewish ideas and technology shaping Palestinian society and culture.

In Transjordan, the borderlands were the site of the British colonization of the region and the subsequent emergence of Jordanian nationalism. The borderlands were also the site of conflict between rival Arab and Jewish factions, as well as the British and Israeli governments. The borderlands were also the site of cultural exchange, with the influx of Arab and Jewish ideas and technology shaping Jordanian society and culture.

In conclusion, the making of the modern Middle East is a complex and multifaceted process that can be reinterpreted by studying its borderlands. These spaces were not just passive recipients of imperial power but active agents in the shaping of regional politics. By examining the connectedness of the politics of borderlands throughout the interwar Middle East, Regimes of Mobility offers a valuable insight into the complex and interconnected history of the region.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474487979