Calls for Papers by Abdulrahim Abu Husayn
Literary anthology is a general category of adab that encompasses a range of compilations which e... more Literary anthology is a general category of adab that encompasses a range of compilations which enjoyed tremendous popularity in Arabic literature probably like no other literature of the world. This general category is divided into several subcategories such as anthologies concerned with form. encyclopedic anthologies, theme and motif anthologies, anthologies based on comparisons, mono-thematic anthologies (e.g. works that discuss the theme of love, wine, condolences, travel and al-ḥanīn ila l-awṭān, gray hair, pairing praise and blame of various things), geographical anthologies, musical anthologies, anthologies concerned with figures of speech, chronological biographical anthologies, and anthologies devoted to the works of one poet. The aim of this conference is to raise and discuss questions about the different approaches to the study of pre-modern Arabic anthologies. What are the reasons behind the popularity of this type of writing in Arabic literature? And, more importantly, what are the functions of a literary anthology? Can literary anthologies be studied as original works that possess a structure and an agenda in their own right, despite drawing from a fixed repertoire of texts? How does the choice of material reveal the individual interests of the compiler? Can the literary selections in an anthology be used in (re)constructing the author's literary theory? Studies that tackle the internal logic and coherence of a work, to wit, the ways in which entries are organized, the elements frequently encountered, and the author's skills in compiling, arranging, and commenting on the akhbār, are most welcome. Such exemplary texts not only reflect a dominant ideology, but contribute towards the dominant discourse by shaping, selecting, and confirming cultural constructs governing intellectual and social life. What is the potential of these sources for historians? What are the particular caveats and concerns when analyzing such compilations? The omissions and inclusions, the forms, connotations and silences of the text, can be used to discover how experience was formulated and how priorities were arranged. What sort of thinking does the text want to produce in order to establish or maintain certain authorities and structures? What possibilities of thinking are excluded from this text? What does it keep from sight? Finally, examining the sources of a preserved text is vital to a precise understanding of that text, its significance, and the cultural context that produced it. The conference welcomes contributions concerned with the study of oral, aural, and written sources of a certain work as well as the reasons and significance of the choice of these sources.
Papers by Abdulrahim Abu Husayn
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Calls for Papers by Abdulrahim Abu Husayn
Papers by Abdulrahim Abu Husayn