Arabic Edition Research Articles

Explicitation & implicitation revisited: Towards a more defined cognitive relevance-theoretic model

AbstractExplicitation might be the most discussed phenomenon in Translation Studies history, and yet the most elusive of them all. This study aims to contribute to the literature on the cognitive relevance-theoretic approach to explicitation and implicitation, adopting the view that translation is a type of pragmatically communicative and interpretive act. First, the study presents a brief critical overview of selected existing accounts of explicitation and implicitation to show how the definitions are riddled with circularity and the classifications with lack of conformity. Second, it addresses the existing relevance-theoretic models in an attempt to reconcile their classifications in a unified, applicable relevance-theoretic model of analysis. It puts to good use the fuller account of the range of pragmatic processes widely discussed in Relevance Theory; namely, disambiguation, reference assignment, free enrichment, higher-level explicature and ad hoc concept. The corpus of the study is selected articles from Nature, as representative of scientific and technical discourse, in English and their translations into Arabic as published in the Arabic edition of Nature. The study leans upon Gutt's Optimal Relevance theory and Pym's Risk Management hypothesis to explain the outcomes of the analysis.

INDIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BIRUNI AND V.S. NAIPAUL

This study is based on a comparison of two works on India, one by Biruni, who lived and wrote about India nearly a thousand years ago, and one by V.S. Naipaul, who lived in the twenty-first century. The first work, Kitâb’ut-Tahkîk ma li’l-Hind, written by Biruni, was written in Arabic in the first quarter of the eleventh century to help Muslims living among Hindus in different regions such as Sindh, Punjab, Kabul and Ghazni. The work was edited by Edward Sachau in the early 1880s and translated into German (1883-1884) and English (1887-1888) under the title Al-Beruni’s India; both the Arabic edition and the translations were published in the West in those years. An Arabic edition of the book, based on the copy in the Paris National Library, was published in Hyderabad in 1958 with the help of the Indian Ministry of Education. On September 30, 1932, Kıvameddin Burslan translated the work into Turkish, but due to various reasons, it was published only in 2015. Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul, on the other hand, has written three travel books on India and in these works, which are based on his travels to the country in 1964, 1977 and 1990, he refers to India as a dark, wounded and rebellious civilization respectively. With the publication of his books, Naipaul, himself of Hindu descent, was severely criticized for his views on India, Indians and non-Western societies and cultures, which went far beyond criticism, and caused intense debates. The most obvious conclusion that emerges from the comparative analysis of the works of both authors is that Biruni, despite being a Muslim, is extremely tolerant and objective in his approach to India, Hindu culture, traditions, and belief system, while Naipaul's approach, on the contrary, is far from tolerance and extremely biased.

Ibn Taymiyya and his Circle on samāʿ: a means to Purify Sufism? (with an Arabic edition of al-Wāsiṭī’s (d. 711/1311) Bulgha)

Abstract By examining polemical treatises on Sufi samāʿ or ‘spiritual audition’, written by scholars with a Ḥanbalī or traditionalist orientation, we assess the strategies and rhetorical devices that they used to discuss the status of samāʿ within their tradition. Our exploration reveals a clear difference in approach between pre-Taymiyyan scholars, on the one hand, and ‘Taymiyyan’ scholars, including Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) himself, on the other. Unlike their predecessors, the latter systematically refer to the legacy of esteemed figures from the formative period of Sufism, such as al-Junayd (d. 289/910) and some of his contemporaries, invoking his spiritual authority to consolidate the relation between Ahl al-Ḥadīth traditionalism and what they considered to be Sufism in its ‘true’ form.

Sensory processing profile among a sample of Egyptian children with different types of delayed language development: correlations of different variables

BackgroundResearch on sensory processing, particularly its association with language disorders, has been increasing in recent years, aiming to understand the correlation between language and sensory processing. This study aimed to determine sensory profiles among children aged 36 and 120 months with language disorders (autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), specific language impairment (SLI), and intellectual disability (ID)) and correlate their language ages with their sensory profile responses.ResultsThe study involved 120 children with language disorders (ASD, ADHD, SLI, and ID), and 30 typically developing children. All children were subjected to assessment by the Sensory Profile and the Preschool Language Scale Fourth Edition (PLS-4) Arabic edition. Based on their sensory profile, children with language disorders are distinguished from typically developing peers. The former has a higher prevalence of sensory modulation disorders as well as atypical emotional and behavioral responses to sensory inputs compared to typically developing children. Children with ASD have the highest atypical sensory responses, followed by those with SLI, ADHD, and ID. A negative correlation was found between some sensory profile scores and receptive language scores. Expressive language was related to oral processing in some subtypes of language disorders.ConclusionsThe study indicates that detailed sensory processing assessment in children reveals different faces for different types of language disorders.

Unveiling Cultural Richness In Asy-Sya’ir Novel's Values

The objective of this research is to analyze the cultural values depicted in the novel Asy-sya’ir by Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti. The primary data source employed in this study was the Arabic edition of the novel, which was published in the year 1912. The study employed a descriptive-analytic research approach. The cultural values depicted in the piece of art were analyzed and categorized based on the cited theory using a systematic approach involving careful and repeated reading. The analysis of the data was conducted by applying Alessandro Duranti's theory of cultural values, resulting in the derivation of the findings. The findings indicate that the Asy-sya’ir novel, a literary rendition of the French classic Cyrano de Bergerac, depicts the author's poignant tale of love and incorporates a multitude of cultural values that are unique to the society in which it originated. The investigation has identified six discrete cultural values: cultural value as an intrinsic distinguishing element, cultural value as a reservoir of knowledge, cultural value as a medium of expression, cultural value as a utilitarian framework, cultural value as a form of intermediary, and cultural value associated with religious viewpoints on the divine.

Fatwās on Jihād from Premodern Morocco

This article provides an Arabic critical edition of one section of an important but unpublished source for the history of late fifteenth-century Morocco: al-Jawāhir al-mukhtāra fī-mā waqaftu ʿalayhi min al-nawāzil bi-Jibāl Ghumāra (Selected jewels: Legal cases I encountered in the Ghumāra Mountains) by the Mālikī jurist ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. al-Ḥasan al-Zayyātī (d. 1055/1645). Although this multivolume collection of legal opinions (fatwās) was compiled in the mid-seventeenth century, it includes numerous fatwās from the fifteenth century onward that do not appear in earlier works, including Aḥmad al-Wansharīsī’s (d. 914/1508) famous collection of fatwās, al-Miʿyār al-muʿrib. This excerpt from the chapter on jihād sheds substantial light on Maghribī legal responses to the Portuguese occupation of Moroccan ports beginning in the fifteenth century. An introduction to the Arabic edition explains the importance of this period and offers an English summary of the Arabic text.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the scleroderma health assessment questionnaire into Arabic language

BackgroundSystemic sclerosis is an autoimmune multisystem disorder which affects the patients’ physical and psychological functioning. Scleroderma health assessment questionnaire used to measure physical disability in systemic sclerosis patients. It consists of Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index plus five visual analogue scores related to systemic sclerosis symptoms. There is no Arabic questionnaire specifically measuring physical disability in Arabic systemic sclerosis patients; therefore, this study aimed to translate the scleroderma health assessment questionnaire, culturally adapt it, and test its reliability and validity.MethodThe scleroderma health assessment questionnaire was translated into Arabic according to translation and cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Convergent validity is measured by correlation of scleroderma health assessment questionnaire scores for 56 patients with short-form health survey scores, while discriminate validity is tested by stratifying clinical manifestations of patients and disease subtypes. Reliability measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient by interviewing patients twice 14 days apart.ResultsThere was a strong correlation between the short-form health survey scores: physical component score and Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire global scores (r = − 0.659**, − 0.727**), while a moderate correlation between the short-form health survey scores physical component score, and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire, visual analogue scores, and all scleroderma health assessment questionnaire visual analogue score subtypes except for Raynaud’s and digital ulcer, was found (r = − 0.495**, − 0.458*, − 0.495**, − 0.403*). The mental component score of the short-form health survey scores was moderately correlated with Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and scleroderma health assessment questionnaire global scores (r = − 0.507**, − 0.51**), while it was mildly correlated with scleroderma health assessment questionnaire visual analogue score and only its subtype overall severity score (r = − 0.398*, − 0.375*). Also, statistically significant association is between diffuse disease type and digestive visual analogue score (p = 0.001). The Arabic edition of scleroderma health assessment questionnaire has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.845.ConclusionThe translated Arabic version is a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess Egyptian systemic sclerosis patients’ functional disability.

Review: Knowledge, Ideology, and Civilization: An Attempt at Understanding History (Arabic Edition), by Ali Jarbawi

Review: <i>Knowledge, Ideology, and Civilization: An Attempt at Understanding History (Arabic Edition)</i>, by Ali Jarbawi

A Critical Analysis of the Intentional Deviation in News Editing

تعد كتابة القصة الخبرية اكثر صياغة وضوحا على سلوك الكاتب الذي يحرر القصة لغويا واجتماعيا وثقافيا حيث يطبق محرر القصة انحرافا سياسيا في بعض مصادر ومستويات اللغة. بل إضافة لذلك تشير الصياغة الى مقدرة كاتب القصة على استعمال اسلوب صحفي مؤثر يحافظ من خلاله على المعايير السياسية الاصلية او يغييرها .. لكن صياغة القصة الخبرية بنفس الوقت تعطي فضاءا جديدا في اطار سياسي مختلف في اللغة المستهدفة .&#x0D; تكمن مشكلة صياغة القصة الخبرية لنفس القناة التلفزيونية بنسختيها العربية والانكليزية في التباين الحاصل في المعاني والقصد والسياسة والانحراف المتعمد ، فعلى سبيل المثال نلاحظ في قناة (بي بي سي) التي تبث في اللغة العربية صياغة لقصة خبرية مختلفة لقصتها الخبرية في النسخة الانكليزية ، حيث تعزو الدراسة ذلك لاسباب ثقافية واجتماعية وإلى استراتيجيات سياسية يتبناها محرر القصة اثناء عملية الصياغة ..&#x0D; وبما ان هذه الدراسة تعتمد على البيانات النوعية فهي بذلك تحاول الاجابة على مجموعة من الأسئلة الموضوعة للبحث ، ابرزها: ما سبب التباينات والانحراف المتعمد الحاصة بين لغة القصة الخبرية الاصلية ولغة القصة الخبرية المترجمة ؟ وهل للمعايير الاجتماعية والثقافية دور اساسي في إعداد الصياغة الخبرية ؟ وهل تساهم الصياغة في تعزيز وتقوية سياسة معينة على حساب سياسة اخرى ؟&#x0D; بيانات هذه الدراسة تتكون من صياغة قصتين خبريتين (واحدة من الانكليزية إلى العربية ) وواحدة اخرى (من العربية إلى الانكليزية) اللتان تم بثهما على شاشة قناة بي بي سي BBC بالنسختين العربية والانكليزية ، وبعدها تم اعتماد التحليل النقدي الاسلوبي من خلال تطبيق أنموذج House(2001) ، لتقييم وقياس نوعية الصياغة.

Muḥammad al-Ṣūfī, the Prophet Muḥammad, and Ibn al-Fāriḍ

Abstract Muḥammad Ibn al-Shihābī al-Ṣūfī composed mystical poems in praise of the prophet Muḥammad, basing much of his verse on the poems of Ibn al-Fāriḍ. While he was not the first to imitate Ibn al-Fāriḍ, Ibn al-Shihābī may have been the first Arabic poet to use consistently a Persian style signature verse (takhalluṣ). This article offers a critical Arabic edition, English translation, and analysis of several of his poems, with a particular focus on his signature verses, which add insights into Ibn al-Shihābī’s life, religious beliefs, and vocation as a Sufi eulogist of the Prophet.

Арабографические источники по истории Дагестана на аварском языке (XIX – нач. XX в.): палеографическая характеристика и общий обзор.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study and introduction into scientific circulation of arabographic written sources in the Avar language of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Until recently, some of these sources were not known at all, and they were not the subject of scientific research. With the emergence of new sources on the history of the Caucasus, it became necessary to conduct a critical source study of the texts of previously published sources. Materials and methods. The research is based on the study of a number of sources in the Avar language, among which we can single out the most informative and early ones, such as: a). Chronicle "Derbent name" (History of Derbent) from the private collection of M.G. Nurmagomedov; b). The composition of Muhammadrafi (14th cent.), known in the historical literature as "Tarikh Dagestan". in three lists from, private and mosque collections; in). “Tarikhi Jar” (History of Jar) from the collection of Nakkaw Muhammad of Jar; d). One-village chronicle “Tarikh Argvani” (History of Argvani) and “Imam Gazimuhammad” by Hasanilav from Gimri, etc. We will tell you more about them below. As we have already mentioned, some texts of the studied sources have already been the subject of research and were previously published [1; 2; 6; 8; 13; 18;20; 22; 23]. The studies are provided with paleographic descriptions, which, in addition to information about the author and scribe, include basic paleographic information such as the date and place of correspondence, volume, paper, handwriting, language of the manuscript and place of storage. If the author of the essay is known, brief information about his life and work is provided. If the text of the essay was previously published in the Arabic edition, or in another Arabic script, then a comparative comparison of the most important plots and fragments (names, toponymic, date of compilation, etc.) of the text was carried out. After the paleographic part, short annotations were compiled to the source texts, divided into semantic and situational syntagms. Research results. Because of the study, we were able to introduce into scientific circulation new sources on the history of the peoples of the North Caucasus, as well as critically analyze the previously published texts of arabographic sources, taking into account modern source studies. The introduction of new narratives in the Avar language into scientific circulation makes it possible to determine the place and role of local historical works in the general system of arabographic sources on the history of the peoples of Dagestan. The results of the research can be used in compiling a special course for students of universities and colleges on source study and historiography of the peoples of the North Caucasus.

Influence and success of the Arabic edition of UFO Robo Grendizer: Adoption of a Japanese icon in the Arabic-speaking world

UFO Robo Grendizer, a Japanese anime character produced in 1975, was immensely popular in Arab countries. Adapted into Arabic in Lebanon as it was enduring a devastating civil war, the program was broadcasted in 1979, then during the 1980s across many Arab audiences (mainly Syria, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf). The cartoon’s narrative of alien invasion and heroic resistance, using cutting-edge technology in the form of Grendizer the super-robot, mirrored the harsh reality of war and occupation that so many Arab populations endured during the same period. This paper aims at uncovering why Grendizer struck such a profound echo in the minds and hearts of the generation of children who found in the character a super hero figure as an escape route to their world’s problems. It will also address the impact of this Japanese cultural reference onto Arabic audiences and highlight how the cartoon came to be domesticated for an Arab context, thus leaving its original universe and encompass the mindset, reflections and expectations of many Arab generations.

Panorama of the Non-Verbal Cognitive Abilities Among Children with SLI

Background: SLI is a disorder with many questionable abilities and marked heterogeneity regarding many aspects. Many determinants could predict the drawback of the disorder on academic, social and vocational levels of the affected children. The full-blown picture of the disorder was and still is an area of interest. It seems urgent to make a revision of the disorder (regarding its definition, diagnostic criteria and classification). One of the questionable aspects of the disorder is the non-verbal cognitive abilities among the affected children.Aim: The current work is aiming to explore the non- verbal cognitive abilities among different types of SLI children in order to draw an overview of the nature of cognitive affection among this population.Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study carried on a random sample of 39 Egyptian children previously diagnosed as SLI (30 males and 9 females) their ages ranged from 2y 8 m to 8y. The participating children were subjected to an assessment protocol that included assessment of the language aptitude (by modified PLS-4 Arabic edition) and the non-verbal cognitive abilities (by Stanford Binet 5th edition).Results: Showed that the syntactic phonological and the semantics pragmatics sub-types of SLI exhibited a varying degree of affection of the non-verbal cognitive abilities.Conclusion: Different types of SLI showed a marked variability in their non-verbal cognitive profile. SLI could be classified into SLI-expressive type with unaffected cognitive abilities (both verbal and non-verbal) and SLI-receptive type which need deeper inspection of their non-vernal cognitive abilities.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Systemic Sclerosis Quality of Life questionnaire into Arabic language.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic connective tissue disease affecting all quality of life (QoL) parameters. In addition to clinical assessment, QoL measures should be included in patient assessment. There is no Arabic tool specific for assessing QoL in Arabic SSc patients; therefore, this work was designed to translate the SScQoL questionnaire, culturally adapt and check its reliability and validity. Based on the principle of translation and cross-cultural adaptation in other language, the SScQoL questionnaire was translated into Arabic. Correlation of SScQoL scores for 50 patients with Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores has been tested for convergent validity and discriminate validity evaluated by stratifying clinical parameters of patients and disease subtypes. The intraclass correlation coffee (ICC) was used to assess reliability by interviewing patients twice 14days apart. Correlations were present between SScQoL scores and physical and mental component scores of SF-36 questionnaire. We found strong negative correlation between the physical component of SF-36 and QoL function, QoL emotion, QoL total scores (r = - 0.654**, r = - 0.512**, r = - 0.540**) and moderate negative correlation present between SF-36 mental component and QoL function, QoL emotion, QoL social, and QoL total (r = - 0.314*, r = - 0.486**, r = - 0.357*, r = - 0.433*). Also, significant association (P < 0.05*) between scores of total QoL and visceral involvements (GIT involvement, pericardial effusion, and LVDD) was evident. The Arabic edition of SScQoL has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.78. The translated Arabic version is a valid and reliable tool to assess Egyptian SSc patients' QoL. Key Points • The SScQoL questionnaire items have a convergent validity with physical and mental component scores of SF-36, and discriminant validity with visceral involvement. • The Arabic edition of SScQoL is reliable with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.78.

Arabic takhalluṣ, Persian Style in Muḥammad al-Ṣūfī’s Poems to Muḥammad the Prophet

Abstract Though a signature verse (takhalluṣ) is often found in medieval Persian and Ottoman Turkish poetry, this is less frequently the case in Arabic poetry at this time. However, Muḥammad Ibn al-Shihābī al-Ṣūfī included such a signature verse in 38 Arabic poems, many inspired by recitations of Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s poetry. This article offers a critical Arabic edition and English translation of two of these poems, followed by an extensive discussion of linguistic and stylistic aspects of Ibn al-Shihābī’s Arabic and poetic style. Both poems also highlight trends in Arabic poetry at the end of the 9th/15th century, including the incorporation of elements from regional varieties of Arabic, and Ibn al-Shihābī’s innovative use of the signature verse, which may reflect the influence of Sufi chanting practices.

Shushtarī’s Treatise on the Limits of Theology and Sufism: Discursive Knowledge (ʿilm), Direct Recognition (maʿrifa), and Mystical Realization (taḥqīq) in al-Risāla al-Quṣāriyya

Abū l-Ḥasan al-Shushtarī’s (d. 668/1269) heretofore unedited and unstudied treatise, “On the Limits [of Theology and Sufism]” (R. al-Quṣāriyya) is a succinct account of the celebrated Andalusī Sufi poet’s understanding of the relationship between discursive knowledge (ʿilm) of the rational Ashʿarite theologians, direct and unitive recognition (maʿrifa) of the Sufis, and verified knowledge (taḥqīq) of the monist Realizers. Following a broad discussion of the major trends in Sufism that form the background out of which Shushtarī emerges, this article analyzes the Quṣāriyya and presents a full English translation and Arabic edition of this text. The Quṣāriyya is a treatise on epistemology that was written in order to provide guidance to a disciple on how to respond to accusations of doctrinal heresy and deviation from the revealed Law. As such, it offers a window into Shushtarī’s thought as well as his understanding of his own place within the 7th/13th century Islamic intellectual tradition. The hierarchy of knowledge that he outlines represents an early response to the growing epistemological debates between what may be called “monotheist Ashʿarites,” “monist-inclined Sufis,” and fully fledged “monist Realizers.” The differences between these three perspectives lie in how each understands God’s bestowal of existence (ījād) and, consequently, the ontological status of the created realm. The Ashʿarites are “monotheists” because they inhabit an atomistic creation that actually exists by virtue of God’s existentiating command. For them, God transcends creation, and creation proves the existence of a transcendent Creator. The Sufis, for their part, incline toward the monists for whom God is the sole Reality, and for whom all else is nonexistent (ʿadam). However, they begin by affirming the logic of the Ashʿarite monotheist paradigm, and as they acquire direct recognition of God through spiritual purification, they assert that the Creator proves the existence of creation, because the latter is an “empty tent” sustained by the divine command. Finally, the “monist” Realizer maintains that nothing other than God exists. Having realized the truths that the theologians speculate about and that the Sufis begin to experience, the Realizers can engage, affirm, and refute both groups at their respective levels without committing to the cosmological doctrines of Ashʿarism, the ontological categories of Avicennan philosophy, or even the Sufi conception of the spiritual path to God.

Cognitive impairment and pregabalin dependence

Background One of the major consequences of substance misuse is its effect on patient cognition. Pregabalin is a new-generation antiepileptic which is believed to have an addictive effect. Objective This cross-sectional study is aimed to estimate the prevalence of cognition impairment among patients with pregabalin misuse. This study includes 300 patients and 100 controls with matched age, sex, and education. The drug abuse patients were divided into two groups: the first group patients used pregabalin alone and the second was a polysubstance group; each group was formed of 150 patients matched in sex, age, and educational level to the pregabalin group. For the diagnosis we used urine screening for drugs. We used the Montreal cognitive assessment test in Arabic edition to evaluate the cognitive function of the patient. Result Cognitive impairment was more in pregabalin misuse patients (M=25.4, SD=3.3) than in the control group (M=27.5, SD=3.7) according to the Montreal cognitive assessment test, P value less than 0.001. The most affected domains were visuoconstruction, digit span, verbal fluency, and recall, with dose (M=625, SD=400). There was no association between cognitive impairment and dose of pregabalin or duration of substance abuse. Conclusion This study concluded that pregabalin misuse patients were likely to have cognitive impairment due to the drug effect and their cognitive impairment was less than the polysubstance misuse group.

Selves and Identities in the Arabian Gulf: The Year in the Gulf Cooperation Council

Selves and Identities in the Arabian GulfThe Year in the Gulf Cooperation Council Szidonia Haragos (bio) The Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates), the historical Arabian Gulf States, constitute some of the fastest-changing geopolitical landscapes in the world. Following the extraction of oil in the 1950s, the region experienced a major economic boom fueling dramatic sociocultural and demographic transformations: fast-paced globalization; large-scale interventions in indigenous ecosystems; the rise of desert metropolises like Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha; the influx of a working expatriate population forming a very significant numerical presence next to the local, national communities; along with, more recently, the push for the diversification of local economies and a gradual move away from an exclusive reliance on oil revenues. One of the most highly anticipated moments of global exposure in the region will be the 2020 World Expo to be held in Dubai, UAE, and the ongoing development and construction in the Emirate is visibly changing the cityscape on a daily basis. Reflecting upon the particular cultural tensions arising from sociocultural and demographic transformation, auto/biographical production in 2017–2018 in the GCC incorporates two connected, yet distinct trends. Forming a sort of tradition of their own, biographical narratives of historical figures and local luminaries constitute one set of tendencies. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, 2018 was declared "The Year of Zayed," celebrating Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, leader of the 1971 unification of the UAE, hence the publication of gorgeously illustrated biographies in bilingual English and Arabic editions, like Zayed: Life of a Great Leader, a volume published by The Dubai Chamber of Commerce commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Zayed. Probably the best-known UAE publishing house, Motivate Publishing, marked the occasion with Father of Our Nation: Selected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a bilingual English-Arabic edition. Soud Ba'alawi and Florence Marguerite Guillerm Mandet's Sheikh Zayed: A Personal Tribute: How His Philosophy Is Now More Important than Ever is another exploration of Sheikh Zayed's historical role, while Sheikh Zayed: [End Page 55] Life and Times is a collection of photographs by royal photographer Noor Ali Rashid. Bookstores also carry the multilingual editions of Prime Minister of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Reflections on Happiness and Positivity along with previous collections of his poetry, Flashes of Thought. Reissued editions of the well-known local businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor's autobiographical work, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor: The Autobiography, also appeared in 2018. In addition to this particular trend, the repertoire of auto/biographical works includes personal explorations of self and identity profoundly marked by the various tensions registered between tradition and the paradigm changes induced by modernization: works dealing with women's rights, with the role of moderate Islam, and with illness and disability, detailing the challenges faced by people diagnosed with lifelong conditions. In my review, I consider this latter type of life writing through the analysis of three representative texts from the Gulf States: Kuwaiti author Shahd Alshammari's Notes on the Flesh, UAE writer Omar Saif Ghobash's Letters to a Young Muslim, and activist writer Manal al-Sharif's Daring to Drive from Saudi Arabia. "I am a woman, a tribal woman, a hybrid, a disabled woman, but so what?" asks Shahd Alshammari in her biomythography—a term she borrows from Audre Lorde—Notes on the Flesh. Echoing Sojourner Truth's question, "Ain't I a woman?" uttered more than a hundred fifty years ago in a different climate amid the material realities of another era, its defiance fits into the zeitgeist of #MeToo. Alshammari's text reveals a self "enmeshed" (9) within multiple identities and situated within a text that is "part-memoir, part-illness narrative, part confused, part confusing, partially fabricated, partially the truth" (iii). She performs a recuperative gesture, working through "shards and fragments of memory and trauma," while purposefully avoiding a sense of closure or stability. Instead, she records a "multiplicity of voices," not just her own, aiming to go to places in the archive of human suffering "where there are not the...

The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (Volume 1)

The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (Volume 1)

The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (Volume 1)

The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (Volume 1)