The Arabic Print Revolution: Cultural Production And Mass Readership
by Ami Ayalon /
2016 / English / PDF
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In a brief historic moment, printing presses, publishing ventures,
a periodical press, circulation networks, and a mass readership
came into being all at once in the Middle East, where none had
previously existed, with ramifications in every sphere of the
community's life. Among other outcomes, this significant change
facilitated the cultural and literary movement known as the Arab
'nahda' ('awakening'). Ayalon's book offers both students and
scholars a critical inquiry into the formative phase of that shift
in Arab societies. This comprehensive analysis explores the advent
of printing and publishing; the formation of mass readership; and
the creation of distribution channels, the vital and often
overlooked nexus linking the former two processes. It considers
questions of cultural and religious tradition, social norms and
relations, and concepts of education, offering a unique
presentation of the emerging print culture in the Middle East.
In a brief historic moment, printing presses, publishing ventures,
a periodical press, circulation networks, and a mass readership
came into being all at once in the Middle East, where none had
previously existed, with ramifications in every sphere of the
community's life. Among other outcomes, this significant change
facilitated the cultural and literary movement known as the Arab
'nahda' ('awakening'). Ayalon's book offers both students and
scholars a critical inquiry into the formative phase of that shift
in Arab societies. This comprehensive analysis explores the advent
of printing and publishing; the formation of mass readership; and
the creation of distribution channels, the vital and often
overlooked nexus linking the former two processes. It considers
questions of cultural and religious tradition, social norms and
relations, and concepts of education, offering a unique
presentation of the emerging print culture in the Middle East.
