Open AccessTo be an Arab or not to be… that is the question!
Author(s) -
Mona Katawi
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
al-raida
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2226-4841
pISSN - 0259-9953
DOI - 10.32380/alrj.v0i0.431
Subject(s) - natural (archaeology) , subject (documents) , subject matter , state (computer science) , socialization , acculturation , epistemology , political science , history , sociology , psychology , social psychology , law , philosophy , immigration , computer science , archaeology , algorithm , library science , curriculum
When I was offered to write an article as a non-Arab woman living in Lebanon, I paused for a while before answering, wondering whether I really felt like a non-Arab. I have been pondering about this ever since, wondering what makes an Arab. This subject turned out to be more elaborate than I had first thought. If being, or for that matter, not being an Arab were simply a question of origin, of blood and genes, things would look slightly more calculable. I rather doubt that one can be born as an Arab, since “Arabism” is not a state induced by natural processes, but rather through socialization and acculturation. It seems that many factors have to be taken into consideration, as the place where one has lived, which language one speaks and, sometimes, the physical appearance.