Abstract
This chapter discusses in broad terms the successes, challenges, quality of life , and overall human development experienced by the Middle East and North African (MENA) region from comparatively ancient to modern times. The chapter provides a rationale for identifying 21 countries as comprising the MENA region as well as for focusing on six selected countries, mainly Egypt , Iran , Israel, Tunisia , Turkey , and the United Arab Emirates. Core features of the MENA region in terms of geography , demography, economy, culture, and religion are provided. Within this historical context, the chapter addresses external and internal factors along with religious and ideological orientations impacting the quality of life in the MENA region.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abun-Nasr, J. (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ballantyne, T., & Burton, A. (2012). Empires and the reach of the global, 1870–1945. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Bonine, M., et al. (2011). Is there a Middle East? The evolution of a geographical concept. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Bonn International Center for Conversion. (2017). Global militarization index. Retrieved from http://gmi.bicc.de/index.php?page=gmi-new.
Bourne, P. A., Sharpe-Pryce, C., Francis, C., et al. (2015). The social psychology of religion and well-being: Is a belief in a God, good for one’s well-being? An empirical inquiry. Journal of Advanced Research in Psychology, 3(1), 8–27.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2016). The world fact book. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html.
Chadwick, R. A. (2005). First civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Oakville, CT: Equinox Publishing Ltd.
Cohen, S. A. (2014). Future of the Middle East—United pan-Arab states: Divided by imperialism, united by destiny. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
Commins, D. (2012). The Gulf States: A modern history. London: I. B. Tauris.
Daniel, M. H., & Tiberius, V. (2015). Well-being policy: What standard of well-being? Journal of the American Philosophical Association, Winter, 712–733. https://doi.org/10.1017/apa.2015.23.
Dawoody, A. (2015). Public administration and policy in the Middle East. New York: Springer.
Deaton, A. (2008). Income, health, and well-being around the world: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(2), 53–72.
Derricourt, R. (2015). Antiquity imagined: The remarkable legacy of Egypt and the ancient Near East. London: I. B. Tauris.
Diener, E., Sandvik, E., Seidlitz, L., et al. (1993). The relationship between income and subjective well-being: Relative or absolute? Social Indicators Research, 28(3), 195–223.
Dirks, N. B. (1992). Introduction: Colonialism and culture. In N. B. Dirks (Ed.), Colonialism and culture. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
el-Aswad, el-S. (1997). Archaic Egyptian cosmology. Anthropos, 92(1/3), 69–81.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2002). Religion and folk cosmology: Scenarios of the visible and invisible in Rural Egypt. Westport, CT: Praeger Press.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2003). Sanctified cosmology: Maintaining Muslim identity with globalism. Journal of Social Affairs, (20), 65–94.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2006). The permeability of the Middle East: The predicament of regional and global forces. Digest of Middle East Studies (DOMES), 15(1), 113–120.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2012). Muslim worldviews and everyday lives. Lanham, MD: Alta Mira Press, Rowman & Littlefield Publisher.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2013). Images of Muslims in western scholarship and media after 9/11. Digest of Middle East Studies (DOMES), 22(1), 39–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/dome.12010.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2016a). Political challenges confronting the Islamic world. In H. Tiliouine & R. J. Estes (Eds.), The state of social progress of Islamic societies: Social, economic, political, and ideological challenges (pp. 361–377). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24774-8_16.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2016b). State, nation and Islamism in contemporary Egypt: An anthropological perspective. Urban Anthropology, 45(1–2), 63–92.
el-Aswad, el-S. (2017). Empathy and emerging worldviews. In D. A. Leeming (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (pp. 1–4). New York, NY: Springer.
Ellison, C. W., & Smith, J. (1991). Toward an integrative measure of health and well-being. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 19(1), 35–45.
Estes, R. J. (2017). The search for well-being: From ancient to modern times. In R. J. Estes & M. J. Sirgy (Eds.), The pursuit of human well-being: The untold global history (pp. 1–30). Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
Estes, R. J., & Sirgy, M. J. (2017). The pursuit of human well-being: The untold global history. Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
Estes, R. J., & Sirgy, M. J. (2018). Advances in well-being: Towards a better world. London, New York: Rowman & Littlefield International.
Estes, R. J., & Tiliouine, H. (2014). Islamic development trends: From collective wishes to concerted actions. Social Indicators Research, 116(1), 67–114.
Estes, R. J., & Zhou, H. (2015). A conceptual approach to creating public-private partnerships in social welfare. International Journal of Social Welfare, 24(4), 348–363.
Fowden, G. (2013). Before and after Muhammad: The first millennium refocused. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Freedom House. (2017). Freedom in the world 2017. Washington, DC: Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FH_FIW_2017_Report_Final.pdf.
Global Firepower Index. (2017). Defense spending by country. http://www.globalfirepower.com/defense-spending-budget.asp.
Graham, C., & Crown, S. (2014). Religion and well-being around the world: Social purpose, social time, or social insurance? International Journal of Well-being, 4(1), 1–27.
Gutas, D. (1998). Greek thought, Arabic culture. The Graeco-Arabic translation movement in Baghdad and Early ‘Abbasid Society. London: Routledge.
Hamann, T., & Rosen, L. (2011). What makes the anthropology of educational policy implementation “anthropological”? In B. Levinson & M. Pollock (Eds.), A companion to the anthropology of education (pp. 461–477). New York: Wiley Blackwell.
Hersch, G. (2016). Measuring well-being for public policy: Doing without theory (Ph.D. thesis). University of California, San Diego. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/42c4b7f5.
Huppert, F. A., & Cooper, C. L. (2014). Interventions and policies to enhance wellbeing: A complete reference guide (Vol. VI). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.
Issawi, C. (1982). An economic history of the Middle East and North Africa. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Jawad, R. (2015, May 19–20). Social protection and social policy systems in the MENA Region: Emerging Trends. New York: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Karshenas M., & Moghadam, V. M. (2009). Bringing social policy back in: a look at the Middle East and North Africa. International Journal of Social Welfare, 18(s1), S52–S61.
Keddie, N. (1973). Is there a Middle East? International Journal of Middle East Studies, 4, 255–271.
Keulertz, M., et al. (2016). Material factors for the MENA Region: Data sources, trends and drivers. Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture. Retrieved from https://www.cidob.org/content/download/65695/2014964/version/12/file/MENARA%20Concep%20paper%203_16.pdf.
Kwon, H. J. (2005). The developmental welfare state and policy reforms in East Asia. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Lammy, D., & Tyler, B. C. (2014). Wellbeing in four policy areas: Report by the all-party parliamentary group on wellbeing economics. Retrieved from http://b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/ccdf9782b6d8700f7c_lcm6i2ed7.pdf.
Lee, R. D. (2010). Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Identity, Ideology, Institutions, and Attitudes. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Maddison, A. (2003). The world economy: Historical statistics. Paris, France: Development Centre of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Maddison, A. (2007). Contours of the world economy 1-2030 AD: Essays in macro-economic history. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Maisels, C. K. (1993). The emergence of civilization: From hunting and gathering to agriculture, cities, and the state of the Near East. London/New York: Routledge.
McDougall, J. (2011). The British and French Empires in the Arab World: Some problems of colonial state-formation and its legacy. In S. N. Cummings & R. Honeybunch (Eds.), Sovereignty after Empire: Comparing the Middle East and Central Asia (pp. 44–66). Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press.
Michalos, A. (2014). Encyclopedia of well-being and quality of life research (12 volumes). Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
O’Donnell, G., et al. (2014). Wellbeing and Policy. [Technical report]. London: Legatum Institute. Retrieved from https://li.com/docs/default-source/commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy/commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy-report—march-2014-pdf.pdf.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016). Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/mena/Active_with_MENA_EN.pdf.
Orlin, L. L. (2007). Life and thought in the Ancient Near East. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Pappe, I. (2018). Israel’s new law is a form of apartheid. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/israels-new-law-is-a-form-of-apartheid/article24513993.ece.
Peter, F., & Machin, D. (2015). Quality of life. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Pew Research Center. (2010), Middle East and North Africa: Global religious futures. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center: Retrieved from http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/regions/middle-east-north-africa.
Pew Research Center. (2011). Muslim-Western tensions persist. Retrieved from http://www.pewglobal.org/2011/07/21/muslim-western-tensions-persist/.
Pew Research Center. (2017). Many countries favor specific religions, officially or unofficially. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2017/10/03/many-countries-favor-specific-religions-officially-or-unofficially/.
Quirke, S. (2015). Exploring religion in Ancient Egypt. Malden, MA: Wiley.
Renima, A., Tiliouine, H., & Estes, R. J. (2016). The Islamic golden age: A story of the triumph of the Islamic civilization. In H. Tiliouine & R. J. Estes (Eds.), The state of social progress of Islamic societies: Social, economic, political, and ideological challenges (pp. 25–52). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Richman, J. (2018). Israel’s new nationality law sparks immediate debate from American Jewish groups. Retrieved from https://www.jns.org/israels-new-nationality-law-sparks-immediate-debate-from-american-jewish-groups/.
Schneer, J. (2010). The Balfour declaration: The origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. New York: Random House.
Shapira, A. (2012). Israel: A history. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press.
Silva, J., Levin, V., & Morgand, M. (2012). The way forward for social safety nets in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington DC: World Bank.
Sirgy, M. J., Estes, R. J., & Selian, A. N. (2017). How we measure well-being: The data behind the history of well-being. In R. J. Estes & M. J. Sirgy (Eds.), The pursuit of human well-being: The untold global history (pp. 135–160). Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
Stern, J., & Berger, J. M. (2015). ISIS: The State of Terror. New York, NY: Ecco Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Stewart, D. J. (2005). The greater Middle East and reform in the Bush administration’s ideological imagination. Geographical Review, 95(3), 400–424.
Suleiman, Y. (2013). Introduction. In Y. Suleiman (Ed.), Language and identity in the Middle East and North Africa (pp. 1–10). London, New York: Routledge.
Svara, J. (2015). The ethics primer for public administration in government and nonprofit organizations. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
The Guardian. (2011). Qatar admits sending hundreds of troops to support Libya rebels. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/26/qatar-troops-libya-rebels-support.
The Telegraph. (2017, June 15). Qatar signs $12bn deal to buy US fighter jets days after Trump accused it of sponsoring terrorism. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/qatar-signs-12-billion-deal-buy-fighter-jets-us-frayed-diplomatic/.
Thompson, D. L. (1983). Public-private policy: An introduction. Policy Study Journal, 11(3), 365–562.
Tiliouine, H., & Estes, R. J. (2016). Social development in North African countries: Achievements and current challenges. In H. Tiliouine & R. J. Estes (Eds.), The state of social progress of Islamic societies: Social, economic, political, and ideological challenges (pp. 109–136). Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
Tiliouine, H., & Meziane, M. (2017). The history of well-being in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In R. J. Estes & M. J. Sirgy (Eds.), The pursuit of human well-being: The untold global history (pp. 523–563). Dordrecht, NL: Springer.
United Arab Emirates Government. (2018). Social welfare programmes. Retrieved from https://government.ae/en/information-and-services/social-affairs/social-welfare-programmes and https://www.abudhabi.ae/portal/public/en/citizens/benefits-for-nationals/social-support/social-welfare?_afrLoop=10769898005710168.
United Nations Development Programme. (2002). Human development report 2002: Deepening democracy in a fragmented world. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/263/hdr_2002_en_complete.pdf.
United Nations Development Programme. (2003). Human development report: 2003: Millennium Development Goals: A compact among nations to end human poverty. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/264/hdr_2003_en_complete.pdf.
United Nations Development Programme. (2016a). Human development reports. Human Development Index. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi.
United Nations Development Programme. (2016b). Human development reports: Human development index. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/137506 and http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2016_technical_notes.pdf.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2016). Protecting and supporting the displaced in Syria: End of year report 2015. Damascus, Syria: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/editorial/2016/2/56cad5a99/unhcr-syria-2015-end-of-year-report.html?query=Syria.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2017). Yemen. Retrieved from https://www.unocha.org/yemen.
Wittes, T. C. (2004). The new U.S. proposal for a greater Middle East initiative: An evaluation. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-new-u-s-proposal-for-a-greater-middle-east-initiative-an-evaluation/.
World Energy Council. (2016). World energy resources. Retrieved from https://www.worldenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/World-Energy-Resources_Report_2016.pdf.
World Health Organization. (2017). World Health Statistics 2017. Monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/255336/1/9789241565486-eng.pdf?ua=1.
Wren-Lewis, S. (2013). Well-being as a primary good: Towards legitimate well-being policy. Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly, 31, 2–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
el-Aswad, eS. (2019). Historical Background. In: The Quality of Life and Policy Issues among the Middle East and North African Countries. Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00326-5_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00326-5_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-00325-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-00326-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)