In their struggle for self-determination the newly independent countries of the Third World are reestablishing links with their precolonial pasts and determining their present identities and future possibilities. To demonstrate this, David Gordon brings together, interprets, and synthesizes the thought of contemporary Arab historiographers. Originally published in 1971. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.