Arab studies

Arab studies or Arabic studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Arabs and Arab World. It consists of several disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, linguistics, historiography, archaeology, cultural studies, economics, geography, international relations, law, literature, philosophy, psychology, political science, and public administration.^[1][2][3] The field draws from old Arabic chronicles, records and oral literature, in addition to written accounts and traditions about Arabs from explorers and geographers in the Arab World (Middle East-North Africa).^[4][5][6]

Arab studies talk about the history of the Middle East and North Africa, before the rise of Islam to the present time. Covering a wide range of topics, such as methods, approaches, colonial history, gender, environmental and legal dimensions. It depends on the political, economic, social and cultural history of the region.

Arabic is a language spoken by more than 422 million people from the ocean to the Gulf, as the Arabs say.^[7][8] This includes Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara in the west, and extends to Iraq, the Gulf states and Somalia in the east. The official language of 26 countries, one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is also the sacred language of over 1.7 billion Muslims around the world,^[9][10][11] and the language written by some of the greatest works of literature, science and history in the world.^[12] According to the teachings of Islam, classical Arabic is the language in which God chose to speak to mankind through Muhammad in the seventh century of the Christian era. It is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. This is the language of Islamic and classical texts.^[13] Modern Arabic is the language of books, news broadcasts, poetry and political speeches throughout the Arab world,^[13] a language that every child in primary school learns to read and write, a diverse language of Arabic poetic traditions, the precise language of theologians and theologians of the Internet. Knowledge of Arabic provides an opportunity to connect with people throughout the Middle East, providing access to the richness and passion of the contemporary Arab world. Arabic is a way to explore nearly 14 centuries of one of the most sophisticated, diverse, and rich intellectual traditions in the world.^[14][15]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Arab studies" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Themes within Arab studies include:

Culture and society in the Arab world, from structures, institutions, art, poetry, letters, practices, and definitions of identity, based on anthropology, sociology, literature and religious studies.

Development and political economy in the Arab world, focusing on economic and social development, education, humanitarian aid, and gender and environmental dimensions of development. This concentration is based on economic history, political economy, sociology and politics.

Contemporary political developments in the Arab world and the Middle East. The program covers the study of domineering, nationalism, local institutions, politics, war, peacemaking, identity, security policies and environmental security. It relies on comparative policies, international relations, history, science, political economy and development.

To understand the history of Arabs provides the indispensable basis to understand all aspects of Arabs and its culture. Themes of special interest are:

• History of the Arabs
• Early Arab conquests

Kalam (علم الكلام) is one of the "religious sciences" of Islam. In Arabic, the word means "discussion" and refers to the Arabic tradition of seeking theological principles through dialectic. A scholar of kalam is referred to as a mutakallim.

• Arabic eschatology

Arabic philosophy is a part of Arab studies. It is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between faith, reason or philosophy, and the religious teachings of Arabs. A Muslim engaged in this field is called an Arab philosopher. It is divided in fields like:

• Early Arabic philosophy
  • Avicennism
  • Averroism
• Modern Arabic philosophy
  • Transcendent theosophy
• List of Arab philosophers
• Illuminationist philosophy

Arabic science is science in the context of traditional ideas of Arabs, including its ethics and prohibitions. An Arab engaged in this field is called a Muslim scientist. This is not the same as science as conducted by any Muslim in a secular context.

• Arabic literature
  • Arabic epic literature
• Arabic poetry

Arabic architecture is the entire range of architecture that has evolved within Arab culture in the course of the history of Arabs. Hence the term encompasses religious buildings as well as secular ones, historic as well as modern expressions and the production of all places that have come under the varying levels of Islamic influence.

• Arabic calligraphy
• Arabic pottery
• Arabic music