Empire and Jihad: The Anglo-Arab Wars of 1870-1920

Written by Neil Faulkner

Narrated by Paul Woodson

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666141801

Neil Faulkner

Neil Faulkner is a historian and archaeologist. He is the author of numerous books, including A Radical History of the World (Pluto, 2018), A People's History of the Russian Revolution (Pluto, 2017) and Lawrence of Arabia's War (Yale, 2016).

Reviews for Empire and Jihad

[Ryan Hellmann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Some history writers are so dry, but this book was honestly really engaging

[GREG123456789563 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

One of the most biased books i have listened to in a while