Lecturer and Full-time Permanent Member of Academic and teaching Staff, AMES Faculty and Wadham College, University of Oxford. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, (HEA). Phone: 01865 270000 Address: The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE
in Middle Eastern Minorities and the Arab Spring: Identity and Community in the Twenty-First Century, , ed. K. S. Parker and T. E. Nasrallah, Gorgias Press, 2017
The Prose Poem & the Journal Shi'r: A Comparative Study of Literature, Literary Theory & Journali... more The Prose Poem & the Journal Shi'r: A Comparative Study of Literature, Literary Theory & Journalism. By Otared Haidar, Ithaca Press, UK, Summer 2008.
The cultural scene in the Arab World at the moment is witnessing unprecedented public and official interest in the issue of cultural modernity and in paying tribute to some great modernizers and their works. In this concern, writers from different disciplines have recognized the role of the cultural groups, and their different activities and projects including establishing journals, and as one of the main motivating factors that raised the issue of Arabic cultural modernity. The journal Shi‘r (1957–70) was an avant-garde poetic journal founded in Beirut by a group of Syrian and Lebanese poets and writers and became a centre of various types of poetic and cultural practice. The activities of the group that were linked to the journal were consolidated in what was called ‘the Shi‘r movement’. Most writers who investigate and evaluate the practices and contributions of Shi‘r define the prose poem as central to Shi‘r’s aspiration for cultural change, yet Arab critics who explore the works of the Shi‘r group tend to treat the work of each writer as an individual accomplishment, and the journal as simply a meeting venue and a medium for conducting individual experiments and pursuing personal careers.
Basing its analysis on the major writings about Shi‘r and the prose poem in Arabic, English and French, this book seeks to demonstrate that conventional methods of viewing the Shi‘r project still breed misconceptions about the group and their writings. Taking as its basis recent groundbreaking writings on modern cultural and literary studies in general, the book defines the prose poem as a cross-cultural universal practice which requires a broad comparative perspective. Hence, it takes a comparative approach to place the Arabic prose poem squarely in this cross-cultural historical context, and to examine its interactive relation with this context which remains unexplored. The comparative study of the genre in its Arabic and Western context, in this book, demonstrates that Western and Arabic prose poetics had similar geneses and they shared some master-models and sources. Moreover, they both developed through their interactive relations with overall cultural atmospheres as well as with journalism. By conducting a historical, theoretical, cultural and textual examination of Shi‘r and the prose poem, throughout the four parts respectively, this book aims to establish the basis for a new reading of the literary practices and its relation to cultural structures in general, and Arabic prose poem and its relation to Shi‘r journal.
This new reading of the pioneering stage of the prose poem seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of formulating new approaches to studying the genre in the Arab context as both a text and as a cultural practice. Exploring the prose poem as text and Shi‘r as a context for practising the genre, the book aims to emphasise the significance of studying the connection between alternative cultural structures on the one hand and modern writing and discourse on the other. Hence, it aspires to stimulate greater interest in considering the contribution of alternative frameworks and alternative discourses in shaping the cultural and intellectual life of the region.
The book was described by Professor Geert Jan van Gelder, Oriental Institute, Oxford University as being: “one of the first lengthy treatments in English of the Arabic prose poem and it is the first lengthy treatment in any language of the hugely influential journal Shi‘r. Haidar conducts a thorough investigation of the Arabic prose poem as both a text and a cultural practice, a dual approach that is wholly new in this field. The final part, which consists of the textual analysis of prose poems by three pioneering poets, is particularly praiseworthy and demonstrates an impressive literary sensibility and talent for translation”. Professor Eric Ormsby, from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, who reviewed the book states: "Dr. Otared Haidar’s excellent new book is a very original study of an important but neglected genre in contemporary Arabic poetry. Clearly and elegantly written, Dr. Haidar’s study is an outstanding, and delightful, contribution to the field of modern Arabic literary criticism”.
This study attempts to explore the contemporary poetic scene in Iraq during the last two decades ... more This study attempts to explore the contemporary poetic scene in Iraq during the last two decades that witnessed two prolonged wars, and to investigate its prospects and challenges. What prompted and motivated this study is the discursive tension going on across the poetic community in which the only commonplace seems to be the continuous complaint of both the poets and the critics about the shortage of support and of marginalization. The internal conflict across the poetic community focuses on two issues: the authentic portrayal of the situation in Iraq, and the poetic excellence. Drawing on many approaches taken from socio-cultural studies, textual studies and comparative poetics, the paper follows an interdisciplinary theoretical approach to defining and constructing the contemporary Iraqi cultural scene as a field meriting study by contextualizing a set of representative poetic texts. By studying and analyzing the literary and extra-literary relations of the text, this study aspi...
The period between 1970 and the first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed a mass migra... more The period between 1970 and the first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed a mass migration from Bilad al-Sham towards several destinations, especially to Egypt and America. Among those who immigrated to America was a group of young writers from Syria, and Lebanon. Their aspiration was to take part in the project of modernity that was advancing in their homeland and to contribute to a cultural change. Furthermore, they aspired to interact with the international cultural community. To implement their collective project they formed the famous group al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya (The Pen-Club), and founded several journals including al-Funun, al-Sai'h, al-Huda, and mir'at al-Gharb. This group of writers, referred usually to as the " Mahjaris/the expatriates " , occupies a prominent place in the history of modern Arabic literature in general and the early decades of the twentieth century, which is termed as the period of the High Arab Renaissance in particular. One of the founding members of the Pen-Club was Jubran Khalil Jubran (1883-1931), who is famous both in the Arab world and the west for his literary works. However what many of Jubran's readers do not know, in both the West and the Arab World, is that Jubran was a great artist. This study will take an interdisciplinary approach to explore the interrelation between Jubran's writing and artwork. Hence, it examines the possibility of reaching new interpretations for Jubran's art and acquiring more insights into the sources and prototypes of his forms and themes. On the other hand it will explore the interaction between his work and the contexts in which he lived and worked including his group, community, and the wider project of the Arab Renaissance.
presented at EWIS Workshop “How Do Symbols Order”, in the Conference The Return of Politics to I... more presented at EWIS Workshop “How Do Symbols Order”, in the Conference The Return of Politics to International Relations, organized by European International Studies Association (EISA), Groningen University, the Netherlands. 6-9 June 2018.
presented at the International Conference of American University of Sharjah, UAE, Storytelling, Travel Writing, and Seafaring from Cross-Cultural Perspectives, 31 October 2018 – 3 November 2018, 2018
The birthplace of Arab print culture was seventeenth century Aleppo. It grew and widened during t... more The birthplace of Arab print culture was seventeenth century Aleppo. It grew and widened during the19th century, and led to the emergence of the Arab press in the middle of that century. The Arabic novel developed in the second half of the 19 th century which witnessed the translation and serializing of European novels in Levantine periodicals, and the publication of some significant precursors of the genre, mainly by writers who were active in journalism such as Fransis Marrash or editors of some major periodicals in the region like Khalil Khuri. In fact, several pioneers of modern Arabic literary prose at that period had their own periodicals such as Faris al-Shidyaq. Some of them had their own periodicals and also publishing houses jurji Zaydan who was also a pioneering novelist. The novelistic writings of these pioneers were under the influence of two major sources: the first one in the classical Arabic narrative, and the second one is the European novel. In this view, the print culture had a great impact on the evolution and progress of the Arabic novel. In addition, the support of the print culture helped the novel to progress in two ways: (1) it helped the novel to be popularized quickly by providing means of circulation and finance, (2) It gave these writers-editers a space to experiment. This impact continued through the 20th century, and Arabic novelistic writing culture continued to progress in the context of printing culture.
The last two years in Syria constituted a line of continuous shocks to regional and international... more The last two years in Syria constituted a line of continuous shocks to regional and international communities that followed them on the Arab and international media. The world witnessed closely the events that have shaken strongly the foundation of the Syrian society and the mass collapse of the long-standing political, economic and social structures, which was accompanied by the emergence of new forces and the fall of others. One of the shocks of the Syrian war was the new role of the social media with its massive presence in the scene and its intense engagement with national, regional and international media and political institutions. The part that was acted by this powerful new player had an enormous impact on the Syrian scene not only by highlighting the situation but also shaping the events. For many observers, history and media stories are exceptionally so thoroughly and closely intertwined in the Syrian events. This paper focuses on the period extending between the early protests and the ongoing war to examine the dynamics of the representations of the Syrian events in media news and other cultural practices. It investigates the underlying reasons for the limited response of the intellectuals to events of the scale and enormity of the Syrian events, and their feeling of alienation. Applying an interdisciplinary approach which draws on media studies, reception studies, textual studies and socio-cultural studies, the paper will explore how the media marginalized the intellectuals and challenged their historical role as driving political and social forces and as a major component of cultural mobilization. Examining the competition between the ephemeral nature of media production and the enduring significance of cultural products, the paper will argue that unless we take these aspects into account, we cannot really claim to have a clear view of the contemporary Syrian situation or to be able to assess it. Following the ongoing debates in the media, I will conduct a discourse analysis in order to acquire a balanced view of the interdiscursive power relations between different groups within media and intellectual communities. Throughout the discussion I will explore a selection of typical media texts and literary texts that represent the Syrian events, and will use them to construct my models and conduct a qualitative analysis in order to envisage the potential mutual support that these two forums can exchange in order to strengthen their roles during the ongoing war as well as in the process of construction and democratization in the postwar period.
Both in Western and Arab Academia, studies of Arabic linguistic, literary and cultural production... more Both in Western and Arab Academia, studies of Arabic linguistic, literary and cultural production concentrate on the study of the mainstream culture and its main political counter-discourse, and they largely neglect the other numerous minor variations. Furthermore, these studies are historically dominated by the application of one of the two traditional approaches that examine the cultural output from the perspective of its socio-political discourse or from the perspective of its aesthetics and stylistics, and to a lesser extent by combining these two approaches. Little is known about the historical context, and cultural and linguistic dynamics that operate in the deep structure of these cultural products and these details are still considered unworthy of scholarly attention. This paper will explore the cultural life of Syrian minorities with special emphasis on the Ismaili and Christian communities during the mandatory period which was a period of political upheaval and social transformation that had ethnic, linguistic, and cultural implications. The research will investigate grounds and forums in which different communities were involved in cultural exchange such as missionary schools, community centres, public space, political parties, cultural coteries and media. It will also explore their mutual influence and intellectual interaction in order to define trajectories of the evolving trends and movements that dominated the following period. It will examine the articulation of identities as reflected in their cultural production and their standard and vernacular linguistic practices, and it will view the linguistic and literary politics as a context for performing conflicting and reconciled identities. The enquiry applies an interdisciplinary approach that combines empirical research with methods demonstrated in the works of Deleuze and Guattari and modern applications of Gramsci and Bakhtin in order to examine representative cultural products of that period both as modes of expression that challenge authoritative texts and as sites of interaction with debates about community, nationhood and universality. These concepts have become inseparable from the central preoccupations of intellectual and political movements during their time and the following period, and exploring them can yield vital insights into present history of Syrian Society.
Although they constitute a small minority, Syrian Ismailis are a recognized community in Syria an... more Although they constitute a small minority, Syrian Ismailis are a recognized community in Syria and they are nationally acclaimed as a liberal, secularized, and modernized community. They played increasingly an active role in the Syrian cultural life since the early decades of the twentieth century in which the Syrian Ismailis accomplished an educational renaissance. During that period, the community lived through several historical turns which motivated them to rise and work hard towards modernity and cultural enlightenment. The political changes that swept through Syria at that time made it possible for the Syrian Ismaili community to establish connections with different institutions and communities. It also made it possible for them to communicate more actively and solidly with the international Ismaili leadership in Europe and its institutions. These new channels helped the Syrian Ismailis to lead a wide movement of reform in their religious institutions and educational system. This educational renaissance brought about a cultural revival that helped the Syrian Ismailis in the following period to open up to the wider Syrian society and to have an active engagement in the national cultural projects and educational institutions on the one hand, and to reinforce their awareness of their cultural identity and their history on the other. This paper will examine the modern educational practices and institutions of the Syrian Ismailis that brought about their educational renaissance by combining empirical research with data collected from Ismaili written sources, media accounts and oral narratives. It will analyse the findings by drawing on approaches derived from modern socio-cultural theories and historical studies. The discussion will explore the historical context of this renaissance, and the cultural paradigms that contributed to it, and inspired its models. Researching this understudied episode of the Syrian Ismaili history can shed a strong light on the overall history of the community and challenge the misconceptions and stereotypes that perceive it as a strictly-secretive esoteric community. It will also suggest new perspectives to view them as an active contributor to their national culture in the one hand and their international Ismaili community on the other.
Disappearing Scholarship and Academic Institutions: Thinking for the future of Syria What can tho... more Disappearing Scholarship and Academic Institutions: Thinking for the future of Syria What can thought and thinking do in the context of daily flowing of images and stories of horrific violence and human tragedies? And what can exploring the situation of academia and scholarship contribute to dealing with it. While mainstream Western media is focusing on ISIS, many relevant issues are brought into discussion and many other ones are assumed to be irrelevant. One of these overlooked issues is the situation of Syrian academia and academics and scholars and scholarship which was shockingly absent from the scene until recently. Apart from few articles most of which were put by some academics in Western Universities, all seem to be distracted from considering this critical group and its great potential to contribute to the international efforts that are dealing with the Syrian crises and to support Syrian communities at home and in Diaspora. This paper will explore the situation of the Syrian Scholarship and Academics during the ongoing crises. It will be difficult to take a full comparative approach from other Arab countries as Syria represents a different, beyond compare case. However, the relevance of the case to several Arab countries is striking. Hence, the findings of this paper can be applied to study the situation in these countries. The call of Western academics for supporting Syrian academia is a great inspiration for working towards the sole purpose which is to end the war and restore lasting peace to Syria.
in Middle Eastern Minorities and the Arab Spring: Identity and Community in the Twenty-First Century, , ed. K. S. Parker and T. E. Nasrallah, Gorgias Press, 2017
The Prose Poem & the Journal Shi'r: A Comparative Study of Literature, Literary Theory & Journali... more The Prose Poem & the Journal Shi'r: A Comparative Study of Literature, Literary Theory & Journalism. By Otared Haidar, Ithaca Press, UK, Summer 2008.
The cultural scene in the Arab World at the moment is witnessing unprecedented public and official interest in the issue of cultural modernity and in paying tribute to some great modernizers and their works. In this concern, writers from different disciplines have recognized the role of the cultural groups, and their different activities and projects including establishing journals, and as one of the main motivating factors that raised the issue of Arabic cultural modernity. The journal Shi‘r (1957–70) was an avant-garde poetic journal founded in Beirut by a group of Syrian and Lebanese poets and writers and became a centre of various types of poetic and cultural practice. The activities of the group that were linked to the journal were consolidated in what was called ‘the Shi‘r movement’. Most writers who investigate and evaluate the practices and contributions of Shi‘r define the prose poem as central to Shi‘r’s aspiration for cultural change, yet Arab critics who explore the works of the Shi‘r group tend to treat the work of each writer as an individual accomplishment, and the journal as simply a meeting venue and a medium for conducting individual experiments and pursuing personal careers.
Basing its analysis on the major writings about Shi‘r and the prose poem in Arabic, English and French, this book seeks to demonstrate that conventional methods of viewing the Shi‘r project still breed misconceptions about the group and their writings. Taking as its basis recent groundbreaking writings on modern cultural and literary studies in general, the book defines the prose poem as a cross-cultural universal practice which requires a broad comparative perspective. Hence, it takes a comparative approach to place the Arabic prose poem squarely in this cross-cultural historical context, and to examine its interactive relation with this context which remains unexplored. The comparative study of the genre in its Arabic and Western context, in this book, demonstrates that Western and Arabic prose poetics had similar geneses and they shared some master-models and sources. Moreover, they both developed through their interactive relations with overall cultural atmospheres as well as with journalism. By conducting a historical, theoretical, cultural and textual examination of Shi‘r and the prose poem, throughout the four parts respectively, this book aims to establish the basis for a new reading of the literary practices and its relation to cultural structures in general, and Arabic prose poem and its relation to Shi‘r journal.
This new reading of the pioneering stage of the prose poem seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of formulating new approaches to studying the genre in the Arab context as both a text and as a cultural practice. Exploring the prose poem as text and Shi‘r as a context for practising the genre, the book aims to emphasise the significance of studying the connection between alternative cultural structures on the one hand and modern writing and discourse on the other. Hence, it aspires to stimulate greater interest in considering the contribution of alternative frameworks and alternative discourses in shaping the cultural and intellectual life of the region.
The book was described by Professor Geert Jan van Gelder, Oriental Institute, Oxford University as being: “one of the first lengthy treatments in English of the Arabic prose poem and it is the first lengthy treatment in any language of the hugely influential journal Shi‘r. Haidar conducts a thorough investigation of the Arabic prose poem as both a text and a cultural practice, a dual approach that is wholly new in this field. The final part, which consists of the textual analysis of prose poems by three pioneering poets, is particularly praiseworthy and demonstrates an impressive literary sensibility and talent for translation”. Professor Eric Ormsby, from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, who reviewed the book states: "Dr. Otared Haidar’s excellent new book is a very original study of an important but neglected genre in contemporary Arabic poetry. Clearly and elegantly written, Dr. Haidar’s study is an outstanding, and delightful, contribution to the field of modern Arabic literary criticism”.
This study attempts to explore the contemporary poetic scene in Iraq during the last two decades ... more This study attempts to explore the contemporary poetic scene in Iraq during the last two decades that witnessed two prolonged wars, and to investigate its prospects and challenges. What prompted and motivated this study is the discursive tension going on across the poetic community in which the only commonplace seems to be the continuous complaint of both the poets and the critics about the shortage of support and of marginalization. The internal conflict across the poetic community focuses on two issues: the authentic portrayal of the situation in Iraq, and the poetic excellence. Drawing on many approaches taken from socio-cultural studies, textual studies and comparative poetics, the paper follows an interdisciplinary theoretical approach to defining and constructing the contemporary Iraqi cultural scene as a field meriting study by contextualizing a set of representative poetic texts. By studying and analyzing the literary and extra-literary relations of the text, this study aspi...
The period between 1970 and the first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed a mass migra... more The period between 1970 and the first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed a mass migration from Bilad al-Sham towards several destinations, especially to Egypt and America. Among those who immigrated to America was a group of young writers from Syria, and Lebanon. Their aspiration was to take part in the project of modernity that was advancing in their homeland and to contribute to a cultural change. Furthermore, they aspired to interact with the international cultural community. To implement their collective project they formed the famous group al-Rabita al-Qalamiyya (The Pen-Club), and founded several journals including al-Funun, al-Sai'h, al-Huda, and mir'at al-Gharb. This group of writers, referred usually to as the " Mahjaris/the expatriates " , occupies a prominent place in the history of modern Arabic literature in general and the early decades of the twentieth century, which is termed as the period of the High Arab Renaissance in particular. One of the founding members of the Pen-Club was Jubran Khalil Jubran (1883-1931), who is famous both in the Arab world and the west for his literary works. However what many of Jubran's readers do not know, in both the West and the Arab World, is that Jubran was a great artist. This study will take an interdisciplinary approach to explore the interrelation between Jubran's writing and artwork. Hence, it examines the possibility of reaching new interpretations for Jubran's art and acquiring more insights into the sources and prototypes of his forms and themes. On the other hand it will explore the interaction between his work and the contexts in which he lived and worked including his group, community, and the wider project of the Arab Renaissance.
presented at EWIS Workshop “How Do Symbols Order”, in the Conference The Return of Politics to I... more presented at EWIS Workshop “How Do Symbols Order”, in the Conference The Return of Politics to International Relations, organized by European International Studies Association (EISA), Groningen University, the Netherlands. 6-9 June 2018.
presented at the International Conference of American University of Sharjah, UAE, Storytelling, Travel Writing, and Seafaring from Cross-Cultural Perspectives, 31 October 2018 – 3 November 2018, 2018
The birthplace of Arab print culture was seventeenth century Aleppo. It grew and widened during t... more The birthplace of Arab print culture was seventeenth century Aleppo. It grew and widened during the19th century, and led to the emergence of the Arab press in the middle of that century. The Arabic novel developed in the second half of the 19 th century which witnessed the translation and serializing of European novels in Levantine periodicals, and the publication of some significant precursors of the genre, mainly by writers who were active in journalism such as Fransis Marrash or editors of some major periodicals in the region like Khalil Khuri. In fact, several pioneers of modern Arabic literary prose at that period had their own periodicals such as Faris al-Shidyaq. Some of them had their own periodicals and also publishing houses jurji Zaydan who was also a pioneering novelist. The novelistic writings of these pioneers were under the influence of two major sources: the first one in the classical Arabic narrative, and the second one is the European novel. In this view, the print culture had a great impact on the evolution and progress of the Arabic novel. In addition, the support of the print culture helped the novel to progress in two ways: (1) it helped the novel to be popularized quickly by providing means of circulation and finance, (2) It gave these writers-editers a space to experiment. This impact continued through the 20th century, and Arabic novelistic writing culture continued to progress in the context of printing culture.
The last two years in Syria constituted a line of continuous shocks to regional and international... more The last two years in Syria constituted a line of continuous shocks to regional and international communities that followed them on the Arab and international media. The world witnessed closely the events that have shaken strongly the foundation of the Syrian society and the mass collapse of the long-standing political, economic and social structures, which was accompanied by the emergence of new forces and the fall of others. One of the shocks of the Syrian war was the new role of the social media with its massive presence in the scene and its intense engagement with national, regional and international media and political institutions. The part that was acted by this powerful new player had an enormous impact on the Syrian scene not only by highlighting the situation but also shaping the events. For many observers, history and media stories are exceptionally so thoroughly and closely intertwined in the Syrian events. This paper focuses on the period extending between the early protests and the ongoing war to examine the dynamics of the representations of the Syrian events in media news and other cultural practices. It investigates the underlying reasons for the limited response of the intellectuals to events of the scale and enormity of the Syrian events, and their feeling of alienation. Applying an interdisciplinary approach which draws on media studies, reception studies, textual studies and socio-cultural studies, the paper will explore how the media marginalized the intellectuals and challenged their historical role as driving political and social forces and as a major component of cultural mobilization. Examining the competition between the ephemeral nature of media production and the enduring significance of cultural products, the paper will argue that unless we take these aspects into account, we cannot really claim to have a clear view of the contemporary Syrian situation or to be able to assess it. Following the ongoing debates in the media, I will conduct a discourse analysis in order to acquire a balanced view of the interdiscursive power relations between different groups within media and intellectual communities. Throughout the discussion I will explore a selection of typical media texts and literary texts that represent the Syrian events, and will use them to construct my models and conduct a qualitative analysis in order to envisage the potential mutual support that these two forums can exchange in order to strengthen their roles during the ongoing war as well as in the process of construction and democratization in the postwar period.
Both in Western and Arab Academia, studies of Arabic linguistic, literary and cultural production... more Both in Western and Arab Academia, studies of Arabic linguistic, literary and cultural production concentrate on the study of the mainstream culture and its main political counter-discourse, and they largely neglect the other numerous minor variations. Furthermore, these studies are historically dominated by the application of one of the two traditional approaches that examine the cultural output from the perspective of its socio-political discourse or from the perspective of its aesthetics and stylistics, and to a lesser extent by combining these two approaches. Little is known about the historical context, and cultural and linguistic dynamics that operate in the deep structure of these cultural products and these details are still considered unworthy of scholarly attention. This paper will explore the cultural life of Syrian minorities with special emphasis on the Ismaili and Christian communities during the mandatory period which was a period of political upheaval and social transformation that had ethnic, linguistic, and cultural implications. The research will investigate grounds and forums in which different communities were involved in cultural exchange such as missionary schools, community centres, public space, political parties, cultural coteries and media. It will also explore their mutual influence and intellectual interaction in order to define trajectories of the evolving trends and movements that dominated the following period. It will examine the articulation of identities as reflected in their cultural production and their standard and vernacular linguistic practices, and it will view the linguistic and literary politics as a context for performing conflicting and reconciled identities. The enquiry applies an interdisciplinary approach that combines empirical research with methods demonstrated in the works of Deleuze and Guattari and modern applications of Gramsci and Bakhtin in order to examine representative cultural products of that period both as modes of expression that challenge authoritative texts and as sites of interaction with debates about community, nationhood and universality. These concepts have become inseparable from the central preoccupations of intellectual and political movements during their time and the following period, and exploring them can yield vital insights into present history of Syrian Society.
Although they constitute a small minority, Syrian Ismailis are a recognized community in Syria an... more Although they constitute a small minority, Syrian Ismailis are a recognized community in Syria and they are nationally acclaimed as a liberal, secularized, and modernized community. They played increasingly an active role in the Syrian cultural life since the early decades of the twentieth century in which the Syrian Ismailis accomplished an educational renaissance. During that period, the community lived through several historical turns which motivated them to rise and work hard towards modernity and cultural enlightenment. The political changes that swept through Syria at that time made it possible for the Syrian Ismaili community to establish connections with different institutions and communities. It also made it possible for them to communicate more actively and solidly with the international Ismaili leadership in Europe and its institutions. These new channels helped the Syrian Ismailis to lead a wide movement of reform in their religious institutions and educational system. This educational renaissance brought about a cultural revival that helped the Syrian Ismailis in the following period to open up to the wider Syrian society and to have an active engagement in the national cultural projects and educational institutions on the one hand, and to reinforce their awareness of their cultural identity and their history on the other. This paper will examine the modern educational practices and institutions of the Syrian Ismailis that brought about their educational renaissance by combining empirical research with data collected from Ismaili written sources, media accounts and oral narratives. It will analyse the findings by drawing on approaches derived from modern socio-cultural theories and historical studies. The discussion will explore the historical context of this renaissance, and the cultural paradigms that contributed to it, and inspired its models. Researching this understudied episode of the Syrian Ismaili history can shed a strong light on the overall history of the community and challenge the misconceptions and stereotypes that perceive it as a strictly-secretive esoteric community. It will also suggest new perspectives to view them as an active contributor to their national culture in the one hand and their international Ismaili community on the other.
Disappearing Scholarship and Academic Institutions: Thinking for the future of Syria What can tho... more Disappearing Scholarship and Academic Institutions: Thinking for the future of Syria What can thought and thinking do in the context of daily flowing of images and stories of horrific violence and human tragedies? And what can exploring the situation of academia and scholarship contribute to dealing with it. While mainstream Western media is focusing on ISIS, many relevant issues are brought into discussion and many other ones are assumed to be irrelevant. One of these overlooked issues is the situation of Syrian academia and academics and scholars and scholarship which was shockingly absent from the scene until recently. Apart from few articles most of which were put by some academics in Western Universities, all seem to be distracted from considering this critical group and its great potential to contribute to the international efforts that are dealing with the Syrian crises and to support Syrian communities at home and in Diaspora. This paper will explore the situation of the Syrian Scholarship and Academics during the ongoing crises. It will be difficult to take a full comparative approach from other Arab countries as Syria represents a different, beyond compare case. However, the relevance of the case to several Arab countries is striking. Hence, the findings of this paper can be applied to study the situation in these countries. The call of Western academics for supporting Syrian academia is a great inspiration for working towards the sole purpose which is to end the war and restore lasting peace to Syria.
The ongoing research still refer to the traditional classification of the classroom as a teacher ... more The ongoing research still refer to the traditional classification of the classroom as a teacher centered-environment or a student-centered environment. Moreover, almost all the ongoing pedagogical research and the most recent educational publications focus on the need to move from the teacher-centered culture to a student-centered culture. Accordingly, the student-centered education which is defined as a synonym of healthy and active learning is increasingly an essential structural aspect in the policy-making of educational institutions. This study is a part of a larger interdisciplinary work in progress which aspires to explore this issue in British universities and the implications of educational centrism in the educational culture. The work draws on several approaches taken from pedagogic theories, and socio-cultural theories. Drawing on several old and new master references and published researches including Diagnosing Foreign Language Proficiency: The interface between Learning and assessment, by J. Charles Alderson, (2005), Language assessment: principles and classroom practices, by H. Douglass Brown, (2004), Learning autonomy in post-16 education: The politics and practice of formative assessment by Kathrine Ecclestone(2002) and Recording achievement, by Janet Gabanski (1989), and on years of personal experience as a student in British universities, experience in academic lectureship and teaching of literature, history and language, and a fellow of HAE (the British Higher Education Academy), this study will attempt to prove that there will be a higher motivation to learn if students are treated as individuals with ideas and issues that deserve attention. In this new educational culture, learners are interactive partners and co-creators in the learning process. The present paper is a bi-focal study that will explore the current educational environment in British universities and will examine its new teaching strategies that are developed in the light of the increasing emphasis on the student culture. The study will investigate the implementation of the new strategies and the methods and techniques used in the teaching environment to activate the role played by students in the teaching process and to engage them in different activities of the educational process. The second part will argue that teachers should engage students in all aspects of their teaching process, most notably in the assessment process. The argument will focus on " assessment " , not only because it is one of the most crucial parts in the teaching
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https://www.gorgiaspress.com/middle-eastern-minorities-and-the-arab-spring-identity-and-community-in-the-twenty-first-century
The cultural scene in the Arab World at the moment is witnessing unprecedented public and official interest in the issue of cultural modernity and in paying tribute to some great modernizers and their works. In this concern, writers from different disciplines have recognized the role of the cultural groups, and their different activities and projects including establishing journals, and as one of the main motivating factors that raised the issue of Arabic cultural modernity. The journal Shi‘r (1957–70) was an avant-garde poetic journal founded in Beirut by a group of Syrian and Lebanese poets and writers and became a centre of various types of poetic and cultural practice. The activities of the group that were linked to the journal were consolidated in what was called ‘the Shi‘r movement’. Most writers who investigate and evaluate the practices and contributions of Shi‘r define the prose poem as central to Shi‘r’s aspiration for cultural change, yet Arab critics who explore the works of the Shi‘r group tend to treat the work of each writer as an individual accomplishment, and the journal as simply a meeting venue and a medium for conducting individual experiments and pursuing personal careers.
Basing its analysis on the major writings about Shi‘r and the prose poem in Arabic, English and French, this book seeks to demonstrate that conventional methods of viewing the Shi‘r project still breed misconceptions about the group and their writings. Taking as its basis recent groundbreaking writings on modern cultural and literary studies in general, the book defines the prose poem as a cross-cultural universal practice which requires a broad comparative perspective. Hence, it takes a comparative approach to place the Arabic prose poem squarely in this cross-cultural historical context, and to examine its interactive relation with this context which remains unexplored. The comparative study of the genre in its Arabic and Western context, in this book, demonstrates that Western and Arabic prose poetics had similar geneses and they shared some master-models and sources. Moreover, they both developed through their interactive relations with overall cultural atmospheres as well as with journalism. By conducting a historical, theoretical, cultural and textual examination of Shi‘r and the prose poem, throughout the four parts respectively, this book aims to establish the basis for a new reading of the literary practices and its relation to cultural structures in general, and Arabic prose poem and its relation to Shi‘r journal.
This new reading of the pioneering stage of the prose poem seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of formulating new approaches to studying the genre in the Arab context as both a text and as a cultural practice. Exploring the prose poem as text and Shi‘r as a context for practising the genre, the book aims to emphasise the significance of studying the connection between alternative cultural structures on the one hand and modern writing and discourse on the other. Hence, it aspires to stimulate greater interest in considering the contribution of alternative frameworks and alternative discourses in shaping the cultural and intellectual life of the region.
The book was described by Professor Geert Jan van Gelder, Oriental Institute, Oxford University as being: “one of the first lengthy treatments in English of the Arabic prose poem and it is the first lengthy treatment in any language of the hugely influential journal Shi‘r. Haidar conducts a thorough investigation of the Arabic prose poem as both a text and a cultural practice, a dual approach that is wholly new in this field. The final part, which consists of the textual analysis of prose poems by three pioneering poets, is particularly praiseworthy and demonstrates an impressive literary sensibility and talent for translation”. Professor Eric Ormsby, from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, who reviewed the book states: "Dr. Otared Haidar’s excellent new book is a very original study of an important but neglected genre in contemporary Arabic poetry. Clearly and elegantly written, Dr. Haidar’s study is an outstanding, and delightful, contribution to the field of modern Arabic literary criticism”.
https://www.gorgiaspress.com/middle-eastern-minorities-and-the-arab-spring-identity-and-community-in-the-twenty-first-century
The cultural scene in the Arab World at the moment is witnessing unprecedented public and official interest in the issue of cultural modernity and in paying tribute to some great modernizers and their works. In this concern, writers from different disciplines have recognized the role of the cultural groups, and their different activities and projects including establishing journals, and as one of the main motivating factors that raised the issue of Arabic cultural modernity. The journal Shi‘r (1957–70) was an avant-garde poetic journal founded in Beirut by a group of Syrian and Lebanese poets and writers and became a centre of various types of poetic and cultural practice. The activities of the group that were linked to the journal were consolidated in what was called ‘the Shi‘r movement’. Most writers who investigate and evaluate the practices and contributions of Shi‘r define the prose poem as central to Shi‘r’s aspiration for cultural change, yet Arab critics who explore the works of the Shi‘r group tend to treat the work of each writer as an individual accomplishment, and the journal as simply a meeting venue and a medium for conducting individual experiments and pursuing personal careers.
Basing its analysis on the major writings about Shi‘r and the prose poem in Arabic, English and French, this book seeks to demonstrate that conventional methods of viewing the Shi‘r project still breed misconceptions about the group and their writings. Taking as its basis recent groundbreaking writings on modern cultural and literary studies in general, the book defines the prose poem as a cross-cultural universal practice which requires a broad comparative perspective. Hence, it takes a comparative approach to place the Arabic prose poem squarely in this cross-cultural historical context, and to examine its interactive relation with this context which remains unexplored. The comparative study of the genre in its Arabic and Western context, in this book, demonstrates that Western and Arabic prose poetics had similar geneses and they shared some master-models and sources. Moreover, they both developed through their interactive relations with overall cultural atmospheres as well as with journalism. By conducting a historical, theoretical, cultural and textual examination of Shi‘r and the prose poem, throughout the four parts respectively, this book aims to establish the basis for a new reading of the literary practices and its relation to cultural structures in general, and Arabic prose poem and its relation to Shi‘r journal.
This new reading of the pioneering stage of the prose poem seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of formulating new approaches to studying the genre in the Arab context as both a text and as a cultural practice. Exploring the prose poem as text and Shi‘r as a context for practising the genre, the book aims to emphasise the significance of studying the connection between alternative cultural structures on the one hand and modern writing and discourse on the other. Hence, it aspires to stimulate greater interest in considering the contribution of alternative frameworks and alternative discourses in shaping the cultural and intellectual life of the region.
The book was described by Professor Geert Jan van Gelder, Oriental Institute, Oxford University as being: “one of the first lengthy treatments in English of the Arabic prose poem and it is the first lengthy treatment in any language of the hugely influential journal Shi‘r. Haidar conducts a thorough investigation of the Arabic prose poem as both a text and a cultural practice, a dual approach that is wholly new in this field. The final part, which consists of the textual analysis of prose poems by three pioneering poets, is particularly praiseworthy and demonstrates an impressive literary sensibility and talent for translation”. Professor Eric Ormsby, from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, who reviewed the book states: "Dr. Otared Haidar’s excellent new book is a very original study of an important but neglected genre in contemporary Arabic poetry. Clearly and elegantly written, Dr. Haidar’s study is an outstanding, and delightful, contribution to the field of modern Arabic literary criticism”.