Online Book Clubs Keep Conversations on Arab Literature Alive
The coronavirus lockdowns inspired a shift to online book clubs among groups that focus on Arab authors and their international readers.
Preserving the Vanishing Heritage of East Africa’s Swahili Coast
Traces of a culture once at the center of exchange between Islam and East Africa are in danger of disappearing. Two authors hope to change that.
More Flexibility with Foreign Words Might Help Arabic Flourish
Using foreign terms in Arabic does not weaken or devalue it, a scholar argues, but rather allows it to develop and keep pace with the modern world.
Bahrain Translation Project Makes 50 Key Texts Available in Arabic
The “Knowledge Transfer Project” is winding down, but leaders hope other initiatives will continue its efforts to improve knowledge-sharing in the Arab world.
Morocco’s Planned Reforms for Undergraduate Education Stir Broad Opposition
A Moroccan plan to move to a four-year undergraduate degree, require mastery of English, and introduce other changes has some supporters but many opponents
‘Home’: Nine Arab Poets Explore Interior Spaces in a New Bilingual Anthology
The dual-language volume does not aim to be completist or canonical, but it may help amend the dearth of contemporary Arabic poetry in English translation.
Syrian Students’ Dreams of Studying Abroad Hit New Roadblocks
Syrian students have been traveling to Beirut for interviews and tests. That complicated and costly process has gotten tougher with coronavirus lockdowns and new U.S. sanctions in place.
Arab Women Writers Struggle to Get the Readers They Deserve
Women who write in Arabic face a double problem: They’re translated less often than men, and when they are, their books are often wrongly characterized.
Poet Zeina Hashem Beck: Not Choosing Between Arabic and English
The acclaimed Lebanese poet moves easily between modes and languages. She writes for the page but also performs, and she juxtaposes English and Arabic in ways that make both feel new.
Universities in France Help Refugees Succeed as Students
University leaders have embraced programs that provide language training and social support to migrants as they make the transition from exiles to students.
