Synopses & Reviews
Arabic, Self, and Identity uses autoethnography, autobiography, and a detailed study of names to investigate the links between conflict and displacement, and between the Self and group identity. In the process it raises questions about trauma and globalization, underscoring the complex roles of language and identity in society.
Yasir Suleiman frames his findings against a far-reaching critique of the dominant, correlational approach in Arabic sociolinguitics. He argues that this approach does not sufficiently explore the link between language and the major narratives of identity and conflict in the Middle East. Instead he advocates for combining this approach with qualitative studies that are nevertheless aware of the limits of interpretation and the positionality of the researcher. This combined endeavor, Suleiman says, can generate a richer understanding of the sociopolitical underpinnings of language, and help to bridge the gaps between the various disciplines that converge on language as a field of investigation and analysis.
Review
"A deep and detailed analysis, supplemented by acute observations about the intricate and subtle ways in which politics, self, identity, and language integrate and collide in the Arab world...it is likely to leave a lasting impact."--Language in Society
About the Author
Yasir Suleiman is Professor of Modern Arabic Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Seven Fault Zones and Beyond: Some Methodological Considerations
3. Arabic, Self and Autoethnography
4. Arabic, Self and Displacement
5. Names, Identity and Conflict
6. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index