Topics in Arab Culture

This course provides a new and illuminating perspective on the Arab world and its culture. It uses cartoons from Arab media as windows on the vibrant day-to-day life of Arab countries, showing Arab attitudes, behavior, and mores as they are expressed locally. By presenting the cartoons and then explaining their context, not only does this book teach the essential yet all-too-easily overlooked details of culture, it invites readers to analyze their own assumptions and interpretations, provoking a dynamic engagement with Arab culture. As the cartoons are fully translated and the discussions are in English, those who are unfamiliar with or just beginning their study of Arabic will be able to engage fully with the cultural lessons. However, the book has additional benefits for advanced Arabic students, as it presents a range of national dialects and idiomatic slang forms that will be unfamiliar to those who know only “classroom” Arabic.