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Abstract

As most of the nationalism studies indicate, language and culture are among the crucial elements of the nation-building process. The revival or construction of the national language and culture played a significant role in the formation of national identities of 20 th century's Syria, Lebanon and Israel as well, and these processes find their origins in the late 19 th century. Syrian intellectuals developed a multi-faced cultural awakening pattern called as Nahda, in which the Arabic language had a pivotal place. Lebanese Maronite elites planted the first seeds of Phoenicianism, which saw the ancient Phoenicia as the genuine origin of Lebanon. This meant that the Lebanese had their unique identity, which is separate from the Arabs, and this brought the efforts to have a new historiography. At the same period, the pioneers of cultural Zionism -Jewish intellectuals who did not live in the region at the beginning -made huge efforts for the revival of Hebrew language, and this paved the way for the efforts of the political Zionism. Despite significant differences and unique aspects, these three currents had also many points that were similar to each other and to other nation-building efforts in the world, and they all played significant roles in the shaping of new nation-states.