logo
Writing War, Writing Life: Examining Arab Women’s Autobiographical Narratives

Writing War, Writing Life: Examining Arab Women’s Autobiographical Narratives

Since the second half of the 20th century, the Arab region has witnessed pivotal and transformative political events that have shaped its modern history. Arab(ic) autobiographical literature has flourished in these contexts. A plethora of these texts have been written by women. This Essay aims to present a brief history of Arab women writing about their experiences of war and political upheavals in autobiographical texts.

Hiyem Cheurfa
Africa & Palestine:  A Historic Relationship  

Africa & Palestine:  A Historic Relationship  

Interlinking the historic ties between Africa and Palestine from the 1950s to the present day, Senior Fellow Dahlia El Zein provides a chronological overview of African solidarity towards the Palestinian question, and how it has evolved over the decades. From Libya to Nairobi, Africans have demonstrated that their historic solidarity with Palestine should not be forgotten.

Dahlia El Zein
In Pursuit of National Unity: Anti-sectarian Discourse in 19th Century Syria

In Pursuit of National Unity: Anti-sectarian Discourse in 19th Century Syria

Historically, the heterogeneous nature of the Middle East represented an opportunity for foreign and colonial actors to justify their political and military interventions in the region, manipulating sectarian identities for realpolitik gains. This Essay aims to examine anti-sectarian discourse in Ottoman Syria, which included modern day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, during the late 19th century. It will do so through a careful mapping of Butrus al-Bustani’s works.

Ola Rifai
Khaleeji Identity in Transition: Modernity & the Comedies of Survival

Khaleeji Identity in Transition: Modernity & the Comedies of Survival

“Dramas of transition” were modern experiments that showcased how Gulf intellectuals and artists at the time dealt and engaged with the early emergence of modernity in their countries. The works are best understood as tragi-comic tales of mock heroic characters, and since the actors and screenwriters were either born or came of age in the era depicted in the dramas, the acting becomes in and of itself an act of remembering.

Naser Albreeky
From Beirut to Kuwait: A History of Arab Cross-Border Movement

From Beirut to Kuwait: A History of Arab Cross-Border Movement

While some common understandings suggest that Arab intra-regional transport
prospered before falling into obsolescence, it is more accurate to say that its state
fluctuates in line with changing circumstances in an ever-dynamic regional landscape. This Essay examines these interconnected and overlapping processes to study cross-border transport modes in a more critical light. In doing so, it attempts to show that Arab mobility is intimately and intricately enmeshed within broader political and historical dynamics.

Rend Beiruti
On Leila Nseir: Beyond Social & Artistic Conventions

On Leila Nseir: Beyond Social & Artistic Conventions

Any attempt to sketch an overview of feminist thought in Syrian art today is indebted to Leila Nseir’s thinking and her revolutionary strength. Nseir devoted her life to art, sacrificing her health in the process. Yet, she was never given the credit she deserved within Syria as one of the founding figures of contemporary Syrian art and her work was never properly documented.

Nour Asalia
L’École de Tunis: The Arts in Post-Independence Tunisia

L’École de Tunis: The Arts in Post-Independence Tunisia

The École de Tunis is a movement that dominated art production in Tunisia between 1956 and the late 1980s and has been recognized as the ‘Golden Age’ of Tunisian art. This Essay explores the institutional context that paved the way for the École’s rise, situating it in a broader post-colonial economic development agenda & changing government priorities.

Mouadh Elarbi
Conceptualizing Arab Nationalism: Theorists & The Imagined Nation

Conceptualizing Arab Nationalism: Theorists & The Imagined Nation

Regional literature traces the seeds of Arab nationalism to the intellectual scene of the 19th century, when thinkers sought to infuse Arabist sentiment throughout society. This essay contextualizes Arab nationalism as a historically situated phenomenon, chronologically retracing the paradigms introduced by the Arab World’s earliest nationalist philosophers.

Ola Rifai
Bye Bye London: Theater & Imperialism in the Gulf

Bye Bye London: Theater & Imperialism in the Gulf

Abdulhussain Abdulredha’s Bye Bye London powerfully presents an awareness of the regional impact of British imperialism, and a desire to reclaim the narrative in theater and politics. The sociopolitical comedy acts as an extension of Kuwait’s intellectual and theatrical history, and also a political response to global, neocolonial realities.

Naser Albreeky