Language And Identity In The Middle East And North Africa

The question of identity in relation to language has hardly been dealt with in the Middle East and North Africa, in spite of the centrality of these issues to a variety of scholarly debates concerning this strategically important part of the world. The book seeks to cover a variety of themes in this area.

This book investigates issues of central importance in understanding the role of language in society in the Middle East and North Africa. In particular, it covers issues of collective identity and variation as they relate to Arabic, Berber, English, Persian and Turkish in the fields of gender, national affiliation, the debate over authenticity and modernity, language reforms and language legislation. In addition, the book investigates how some of these issues are realized in the diaspora at both the micro and macro levels.

This volume offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of applied research efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This region has not received due attention in the literature and this publication provides a much-needed contribution to the existing body of knowledge. The editor recruited a number of renowned scholars who either work in the MENA countries or have experience doing research in this region to contribute to this project. The selection of chapters ensured representation of applied linguistics efforts in North Africa, the Levant, and the Gulf. The book looks into language research within social and educational MENA contexts. The final part of the book provides a forward-looking perspective about applied linguistics research and practices in the Middle East and North Africa. The book is primarily written for those interested in applied linguistics, particularly researchers, graduate students, and language professionals in the MNEA region.

Language and Identity in the Arab World explores the inextricable link between language and identity, referring particularly to the Arab world. Spanning Indonesia to the United States, the Arab world is here imagined as a continually changing one, with the Arab diaspora asserting its linguistic identity across the world. Crucial questions on transforming linguistic landscapes, the role and implications of migration, and the impact of technology on language use are explored by established and emerging scholars in the field of applied and socio-linguistics. The book asks such crucial questions as how language contact affects or transforms identity, how language reflects changing identities among migrant communities, and how language choices contribute to identity construction in social media. As well as appreciating the breadth and scope of the Arab world, this anthology focuses on the transformative role of language within indigenous and migrant communities as they negotiate between their heritage languages and those spoken by the wider society. Investigating the ways in which identity continues to be imagined and re-constructed in and among Arab communities, this book is indispensable to students, teachers, and anyone who is interested in language contact, linguistic landscapes, and minority language retention as well as the intersections of language and technology.

This book investigates issues of central importance in understanding the role of language in society in the Middle East and North Africa. In particular, it covers issues of collective identity and variation as they relate to Arabic, Berber, English, Persian and Turkish in the fields of gender, national affiliation, the debate over authenticity and modernity, language reforms and language legislation. In addition, the book investigates how some of these issues are realized in the diaspora at both the micro and macro levels.

"e;A very useful addition to courses on Arab nationalism, nationalism in general, and Arabic linguistics."e;Professor Clive Holes FBA, Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World, University of Oxford"e;Masterfully combines his profound familiarity with the Arabic literature, the endless literature on nationalist ideology, and the very substantial sociolinguistic literature on language and ethnic identity."e;Professor Joshua Fishman, Distinguished University Research Professor ofSocial Sciences, Emeritus, Yeshiva University'This compelling and timely study of Arabic culture, language, history, and nationalism by distinguished Arabic linguist Yasir Suleiman allows English-speaking audiences an inside view of key issues in understanding the Arab world. Based on Suleiman's extensive research in Arabic language and society, the book is scholarly but not pedantic, and will appeal to a wide range of readers.'Karin C. Ryding, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Professor of Arabic, Georgetown UniversityPrizewinner, British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize in Middle Eastern Studies 2004A fresh perspective on nationalism in the Arab Middle East, investigating the interaction between language and nationalist ideology. It covers both communicative and symbolic functions of the language in relation to cultural and political nationalism and the articulation of national identity. Includes: * the Arab past (the interpretation and reinvention of tradition and myth-making)* the clash between Arab and Turkish cultural nationalism in the 19th and early 20th century* readings of canonical treatises on Arab cultural nationalism* a study of the major ideological trends linking language to territorial nationalism* a research agenda for the study of language and nationalism in the Arab contextThis is the first full-scale study of this important topic and will be of interest to students of nationalism, Arab and comparative politics, Arabic Studies, history, cultural stud

Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East differs from traditional modern Middle East scholarship in that it reevaluates the images and perceptions that specialists-and Middle Easterners themselves-have normalized and intellectualized about the region, often with a patronizing rejection of the legitimacy and authenticity of non-Arab Middle Eastern peoples, and a refusal to attribute the Middle East's pathologies to causes outside the traditional Arab-Israeli and post-colonial paradigms.

For states in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, the "Arab Spring" has had different implications and consequences, stemming from the politics of identity and the historical and political processes that have shaped development. This book focuses on how these factors interact with globalization and affect state formation.