​This paper aims to provide a theoretical underpinning for a revitalized Arab identity. It defines Arab identity as a strictly relative phenomenon which cannot be stripped out of its wider context, and, crucially, collective memory. The paper does this through its expansion of an idea of a multi-faceted concept of identity which takes in the social negotiation of identity [on an individual level] as well as the clashes which exist between dominant and “subaltern” identities. In doing so, the author refuses to accept the concept of Arab identity as defined by the dominant elites of Arab countries and their intolerance for multiple cultural identities. Instead, the author advocates for the promotion of a new, inclusive Arab cultural identity promulgated and espoused by contemporary thinkers.