This is a perspective on the topic of nationalism in the Arab Middle East. The text details the role played by non-elites in nationalist politics during the early part of the 20th century. The book documents the appearance of a new form of political organization – the popular committee – that sprang up in cities and villages throughout greater Syria in the immediate aftermath of World War I. Gelvin recounts this period, examines nationalist politics as a mass phenomenon and offers a view of nation and nationalism that informs the politics of the region today.