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Orientalism has always been associated with the study of Arabia and the Middle East in the Western world. on the other hand, Western Arabic Studies Although its origins date back to the 15th century, the language was in the background of Western academia. enlightenment, This led to increased interest in foreign cultures and the establishment of Arabic speakers as exotic, violent, or backward. “Orientalism” summarizes these generalizations. It is a study of the distorted Western understanding and reproduction of the Arab and Islamic world. “”expression systemIt creates the Other and ensures the superiority of the Western world.After all, a scholar abandoned A term used in the 1970s as a more regionally conscious classification.
But has our society really progressed beyond Orientalism?Dr. Edward Said claim Today, he says, new forms of Orientalism are tainting Western discourse by constructing “a more threatening image of Islam.” Although globalization has increased interconnectedness, it has certainly not facilitated the acceptance of other cultures. And today, the Western power grid employs this “neo” Orientalism in Western language instruction to create fear and emphasize safety.
Mohammad Samiei, a professor of world studies at Tehran University, argues in his book: article “Neo-Orientalism? Western-Islamic Relations in Our Globalized World” states that capitalism “tends to corrupt Western Islamic studies for its own benefit.” The university receives private and government funding; hostage Aligning with donors’ political and cultural agendas. After World War II, the U.S. government changed the Arabic language tostrategic language,And the agenda became to professionalize the field.
The effect is obvious. Since 9/11, enrollment in Arabic language programs has increased. increased rapidly 82% increase. Most companies are now focused on securitization rather than culture and identity. Mr. Mahmoud Al-Batar (co-author) alkitab (Middlebury and hundreds of other universities), embodies this focus. 2007, Al Battar commented “The tragic events of September 11, 2001 ushered in an era of increased public attention to Arabic as a language essential to national interests and security.” This vitality contributed to: significant increase In the early 2000s, he enrolled in a government-funded Arabic language course in higher education. The materials introduced in alkitab Although it provides a framework for new language learners on how to think and communicate in Arabic, this book also: funds From federal agencies that engage students in government agendas. The national curriculum in Arabic now aims to transform language learners into defenders of Western security against a threatening Middle East. Sound familiar? Orientalism is alive.
I came to Middlebury and enrolled in an introductory Arabic class, hoping that Arabic would be a way to immerse myself in a culture different from my own. However, it quickly became clear that learning Arabic was different from learning Spanish or French in high school. Our first vocabulary set included المتحدة األمم, or “United Nations.” The second included “translator” and the third “military.” The first textbooks had neither colors nor days of the week, lessons common to virtually all elementary language courses. Recently, Alkitab Part II (published in 2013) contained the word “شرقي” which translates as “Orient, Middle East”. The professors put a lot of effort into culturally enriching the curriculum and introducing us to real-world scenarios, but even after learning Arabic for three years, I still struggle to order food at a restaurant. It is more comfortable to discuss the presence of police during riots. I’m studying abroad in Jordan this semester and have been immersed in Jordanian for just over a month, but I’m still having a hard time reconciling what I learned at Middlebury with the vocabulary I need for everyday life.
Last summer, I attended an eight-week summer language school in Middlebury to improve my language skills. The State Department, CIA, FBI, and military all train their employees in Arabic in securitization philosophy to achieve this goal. There, I worked with students (like me) who wanted to learn a new culture by learning a language, as well as students who had graduated and received scholarships from employers in the State Department, Department of Education, or Department of Defense. I took a class. The woman I sat next to every day revealed that she was an active duty interrogator in the Army in Middlebury. After finding out about her Ramadan one morning, she reflected that she was not interested in the topic at all because it had nothing to do with her own work.
The New Orientalist narrative extended beyond the student body. In her first two weeks alone, Middlebury hosted her two separate events. recruitment session “Utilize your foreign language skills to pursue a career in national security.” In response, students created “Languages for Peace” to resist the “weaponization of language learning at Middlebury.” organized a named protest event. they again, petition Discontinuing recruitment activities. Orientalism also permeated the summer academic curriculum. At one point, many upperclassmen walked out of the classroom after a particularly upsetting lesson that included vocabulary such as “suicide bomber” and “tear gas.” These students felt that professors and programs responded to student needs with government funding and supported an Orientalist curriculum. Studying Arabic at Middlebury College is no longer just about immersion in a culture, but also about producing graduates who embrace the constructs of Middle Eastern people and culture as dangerous.
You might think that Orientalism is long gone, but that’s not the case with these neo-Orientalist perspectives. Individual To Middlebury. Power structures still systematically influence all aspects of Arabic language teaching in higher education.
Madeline Gallop is a member of the 2023.5 class.
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