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Tagged: Language

Why the Past Matters: Personal Reflections on the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life

By Zahiye Kundos. This reflective piece explores the complex, intergenerational sense of loss and identity crisis within Arab communities, focusing on the author’s personal journey of reconnecting with heritage, language, and selfhood amid a history marked by exile, fragmentation, and political marginalization. The author describes a profound attachment to belonging (intimāʾ), which shapes her writing and drives her to understand and heal the collective “bruise” in the Arab heart—a metaphor for enduring pain and resilience in the face of historical displacement. Zahiye Kundos navigates familial and cultural ties across generations, examining both male and female influences in her family and the broader Arab intellectual landscape.

Why Non-European Languages Matter to European Humanities: Area Studies and Postcolonial Philology

By Christian Junge (Arabic Studies, University of Marburg, Germany). English is, without doubt, the dominant academic language of our time, especially in the natural sciences, where materials are often taught and published in English. On the contrary, in European humanities, scholars of literary and cultural studies, linguistics and philosophy teach and publish quite widely in minor academic languages, such as German, Italian or Polish.

لماذا تهمّ اللغات غير الأوروبية الإنسانيات الأوروبية: دراسات المناطق وفقه اللغة ما بعد الاستعماري

كريستيان يونغي (الدراسات العربية، جامعة ماربورغ، ألمانيا). لا شك أنَّ اللغة الإنكليزية هي اللغة الأكاديمية السائدة في عصرنا، لا سيما في العلوم الطبيعية، إذ غالبًا ما تُدرَّس المواد وتُنشر باللغة الإنكليزية. وبخلاف ذلك، فإنَّ باحثيّ الدراسات الأدبية والثقافية واللغويات والفلسفة، في الإنسانيات الأوروبية، يدرّسون وينشرون على نطاق واسع بلغات أكاديمية ثانوية، مثل الألمانية أو الإيطالية أو البولندية.

Speaking about the virus: the language of war in the Reformed Church in Zambia

By Johanneke Kroesbergen-Kamps & Hermen Kroesbergen. In Zambia, like in other African countries, the COVID-19 pandemic started very slowly, while the government was quick to take action. Even before the first Coronavirus case on Zambian soil was confirmed on 18 March 2020, hygiene measures were announced and all schools and universities were closed.