When I moved to Minnesota two years ago, I suddenly had a whole new world to learn and explore, from highways and county roads to social values and cultural norms. Along the way, I’ve found some books and other cultural artifacts that have enhanced the journey and I’m sharing them with you here today. The…
In this post, I want to bring together information and resources regarding children’s literature in Arabic. The primary impetus for this post is to inform and assist librarians and teachers, in public libraries and schools, particularly in the United States, who want to purchase and provide books in Arabic for kids and their families. Context…
I lived in Cairo 2004-2005, attending the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA) program and interning at the UNESCO Cairo Office. Toward the end of my time in Cairo, a story I wrote in Arabic won first place in a writing contest. I’m sharing it with you here, with elegant English translation by Lily Sadowsky….
In honor of Salma Khadra Jayyusi, who passed away earlier this year, I’d like to revisit Juha the famous trickster character. I was fortunate enough to study Arabic langugage and literature during the years when Jayyusi’s PROTA project was bringing many works to the attention of readers in English. One of these works is published…
انظروا هنا للنسخة العربية Guest Post by Meriem Sahli | In the following post, guest writer Meriem Sahli outlines important developments in education in Morocco and identifies remaining areas for improvement. INTRODUCTION The Kingdom of Morocco is situated in the North-Western part of Africa. Its geographic location makes it both an African and an Arab-Muslim…
If you teach anything related to the region of Middle East/Southwest Asia and North Africa or you want to learn more yourself, this post is for you! My colleague Christine Baker assisted with the design of the course outline provided here. Intended for an Introduction to the Middle East course, it provides many sources for…
In this chilly winter season, here’s a list of Arabic shows and movies with something for everyone to enjoy… Justice | Netflix | UAE | Crime / Courtroom TV Show | about a young woman lawyer (I liked it!) Secret of the Nile | Egypt | Netflix | Mystery, Drama, Romance | a beautiful reinvention…
This post is inspired by the many people I hear from who want to begin learning Arabic. If you’re interested in finding a program, check out my earlier post on Arabic Study Options. It includes a collection of resources. For those who just want to get their feet wet, so to speak, just taking baby…
Ghada Abdel Aal’s hilarious blog, عايزة أتجوز / I Want to Get Married was turned into a book, which has been translated into several languages. It was also adapted to an Egyptian musalsal / TV show. You can see it here. There are reviews of the book in The National here and on Muslimah Media…
In the current climate, audio and video sources are on the rise, but reading remains a key skill for language learners. For those learners who already love to read (in any language), extensive reading can be a powerhouse for their progress toward increased proficiency in Arabic. This 2-part series is based on research in language…
