Digital Commons Network^™

Arabizi (Franco) In Egypt: A Study Of Features, Reasons, Attitudes, And Educational Influence Among Youth In Online Communication, Muhammad Wafa

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the phenomenon of Arabizi (Franco) as it is employed by Egyptian youth in online communication, focusing on the sociolinguistic factors that influence language choice, particularly educational background. Through a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative analysis of an online questionnaire using inferential statistics and qualitative examination of text samples, this study investigates the most common language varieties used by Egyptian youth, the underlying reasons for Arabizi's adoption, attitudes towards its usage, and the salient features of this variety of online communication. The findings reveal that Arabizi is widely used among Egyptian youth from all educational backgrounds. It is especially …

The Principles Of Islamic Moral Philosophy And The Possibility Of Re-Conceptualizing Classical Islamic Aesthetics Of Architecture, Muhammad Feteha

Theses and Dissertations

This study is primarily concerned with the intersection of the moral and aesthetic theories of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111). Al-Ghazālī’s theory of aesthetics has been the subject of thorough scholarly investigations and diverse interpretations in the field of Islamic art history since the 1940s. This thesis critiques the premises upon which the use of al-Ghazālī’s writings in studies of Islamic art and architecture were built. It suggests that they lead to what could be described as “the contradiction of unethical beauty.” To overcome this contradiction, it offers a comprehensive interpretation of al-Ghazālī’s aesthetics through analyzing the concept ḥusn in …

Rethinking Rupture And Continuity: Al-Jarād And Khamāsīn, Two Poetry Magazines Of The Egyptian 1990s, Caroline Benson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes two Egyptian poetry magazines, al-Jarād and Khamāsīn, to enrich critical understanding of the Egyptian literary 1990s. It uses The Rules of Art: Genesis and Structure of the Literary Field (Les Règles de l’art: Genèse et structure du champ littéraire), Pierre Bourdieu’s 1992 sociological study of the literary field, as a theoretical framework. Numerous scholars have noted that the “nineties generation” is known for its aversion to politics, ideologies, and collectivities; its rupture with stylistic and thematic conventions of its predecessors; and its turn away from the “major issues” (al-qaḍāyah al-kubrā) of the …

Identifying The Challenges That Hinder Research Productivity In Academia: Evidence From Somaliland And The Way Forward., Khalid Jama

Theses and Dissertations

In any nation, research is the primary force behind innovation and progress. It contributes to the Economic growth, global competence, and social progress. Research productivity is highly valued in the scientific community. Scientific community research is regarded as the key factor determining academic recognition, financial support, and academic recognition. Nonetheless, the output of research faces difficulties in many sub-Saharan African nations. This study aims to understand what limits the research publication in Somaliland. The study adopt a mixed methods approach to understand and analyze the main reason behind the research and publication limitations in Somaliland’s higher education. Individuals from various …

Emergent Leadership, L2 Oral Proficiency, And Social Networks During Study Abroad, Nicole C. Whitby

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that study abroad (SA) provides a unique, yet varied outcome for students seeking to improve their target language oral proficiency during study abroad SA (Freed et al., 2004). Contemporary work in second language acquisition (SLA) during SA has looked beyond individual behaviors of sojourners to analyze social networks as a structure with significant influence on outcomes, yet emergent leadership has not been addressed within social network analysis in SA. To address this gap the current study employed a computational social network approach. This mixed methods study analyzes the social networks of 30 SA sojourners from a large private …

Exploration Of Muslim Children's Engagement In Religion And Spirituality And Associations With Academic Functioning, Social Behaviors, And Well-Being, Isha Hammad

Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that religion and spirituality contribute to positive outcomes in youth, including academic functioning, social behaviors, and well-being. Islamic psychology merges psychological and spiritual well-being within the individual. Studies have shown positive outcomes for adult engagement in Islamic religious practices (i.e., salat prayer and dua), however studies have yet to explore whether these relationships exist for Muslim children. This study examined the relationship between Islamic religious practices (i.e., salat prayer and dua) and academic functioning, prosocial behaviors, happiness, and satisfaction with life in a sample of Muslim school children attending an urban private Islamic school. In addition, this study …

Imām Al-Baghawī (D. 516/1123): Tafsīr And Sunnism During The 11th-12th Centuries In Khurāsān, Nourhan Hassanein

Theses and Dissertations

A number of recent studies have focused on the intellectual trends and debates surrounding the formation of Sunnism in the 11-12th centuries. Academics have explored various currents within the intellectual and social context of Sunni Islam during the 11th-12th centuries. George Makdisi, Richard Bulliet, Jonathan Brown, Daphna Ephrat, Mohamed Eissa, and Ahmad Khan studied topics related to the educational system, the scholarly community, heresy and Sunni orthodoxy, legal studies, ḥadīth, and theology. However, the status of scholarship on works of tafsīr differs significantly. There are few studies concentrated on the classical period, such as works on the commentaries of al-Thaʿlabī …

From Crypto-Muslim To Muslim Polemicist: The Self-Writing Of Aḥmad Ibn Qāsim Al-Ḥajarī, Paige Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the self-writing of the Morisco writer Aḥmad ibn Qāsim al-Ḥajarī (b. 1569–1570) who fled his homeland in Spain for the Maghreb where he could live safely as a Muslim. While it may seem that the Moriscos were one static, monocultural group, studying them as individuals reveals the group’s diversity and complexity. Al-Ḥajarī is an excellent example of one Morisco writer who identifies more with the greater Muslim community than with the Iberian Moriscos. His most well-known work, Kitāb Nāṣir al-dīn, combines Arabic literary genres in order to create this self-portrait. Other Moriscos fought for their right to …

The Importance Of Sunni-Iraqi Support In The Rise And Fall Of Isis In Iraq, Deja Meekins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ISIS, a Salafi-jihadist terrorist organization stationed in the Middle East, has had its fair share of "successes" and "failures," both of which have been present in Iraq. Toward the beginning of the development of ISIS, it garnered a very powerful supporter base in Iraq. However, that has changed since then; ISIS currently, in 2024, no longer has the support of the vast majority of the Iraqi people. What is the reason for this? This research paper will seek to analyze and answer two major questions: what role does the Iraqi Sunni population play in ISIS’s trajectory of successes and failures …

Dimensional Dialogues, Farida Abousteit

Masters Theses

Dimensional Dialogues, a multi-installation series, offers us a place to interact with language in a way that is whimsical and transcends our need to understand and comprehend language. We remove the tensions of language barriers by finding beauty and personal connection to typography, now scaled up to a human scale and reacting in real time to our movements. A process begins from ancient practices of designing Arabic Calligraphy, to creating Graphic Outputs of that calligraphy, to technologically heavy and new works in creating 3D models of these works that can be projected and respond to human movement. These installations, in …

Socially Racialized And Statistically Invisible: U.S. Census Recognition Of The Middle Eastern And North African Diaspora, Aliana J. Jabbary

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis delves into the recent decision by the U.S. Executive’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise the statistical categorization of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) individuals within federal statistical collection, particularly focusing on the U.S. Decennial Census’ racial and ethnic classifications as outlined in the OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive no. 15. Historically classified solely as racially White, the MENA diaspora’s statistical invisibility within federal data has significant impacts on policy eligibility and access to legal protections, contributing to their social erasure from the national identity. Through a comprehensive analysis of racialization and Orientalism scholarship, alongside an …

Mitigating Burnout In Primary School Teachers Since The Covid-19 Pandemic, Janine Celeste Adrian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although teacher burnout has been experienced for decades, teachers faced additional stressors with the onset of COVID-19. Teachers faced newfound stressors due to lockdowns and restrictions on gathering face-to-face and instruction becoming virtual. Even the youngest students (kindergarten to fifth grade) had to be taught according to the virtual learning mandates. As a result, primary school teachers began to experience burnout differently. The purpose of this study was to explore the support primary school teachers needed to help mitigate the burnout they experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored what interpersonal, intrapersonal, or educational support helps mitigate burnout …

“Not The Mecca We Know”: Analyzing The Spiritual And Cultural Ramifications Of Contemporary Commercialism In Saudi Arabia, Hanif Azam Amanullah

Senior Theses

The Islamic Hajj, one of the world's most prominent religious pilgrimages, has in recent decades faced increasing scrutiny due to its rapid and persistent commercialization under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government. To make way for this commercialization, researchers estimate that over 95% of Islamic heritage sites have been destroyed, the justification for which often lies in Wahhabi attempts to avoid idolatry. The few remaining sites have been renovated beyond the point of recognition. Amid the drastic transformation of both Islam’s holiest city and holiest ritual, this thesis finds that the Kingdom’s fundamentalist Islamic interpretations and extreme commercial developments have …

Silent, Or Silenced: Repression Of The Middle Eastern Subaltern, Amanda Arodes

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper employs subaltern theory to examine the socio-political landscapes of Palestine and Syria within postcolonial discourse. Drawing from the works of scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ranajit Guha, and Juan R. Cole, this study uncovers the silenced narratives and marginalized perspectives of the Palestinian and Syrian people. Through a critical analysis of historical, cultural, and political dimensions, the basis of this research explores how subaltern groups in Palestine and Syria navigate structures of power, resistance, and identity formation. The experiences of various subaltern groups, including refugees, women, and ethnic minorities whose voices often remain obscured within dominant discourses are …

The Transformation Of Arab Narrative From Oral To Virtual Reality: A Media Ecology Perspective, Eman Alaslani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the evolution of communication in Arab culture from orality to virtual reality (VR). Through the lens of media ecology, it investigates the development of media technologies, particularly VR, and their influence on Arab storytelling, communication, and cultural identity. Making use of the theoretical perspectives of Marshall McLuhan, Walter J. Ong, and Neil Postman, this project explores the potential of VR to reshape Arab storytelling and cultural expression. The paper further discusses the historical, social, and technological dimensions of VR as a medium with the power to alter human communication and perception. This project surveys the effects of …

Information Structure By Phase: An Analysis Of Rural Palestinian Arabic, Mahmoud Alawneh

Theses - ALL

This thesis analyzes how the information-structural constituents topic and contrastive focus are syntactically encoded in Rural Palestinian Arabic. In doing so, two original proposals are argued for. First, the syntactic encodement of information-structure is recursive and domain-bound. That is, the same information-structural movements are repeatedly available within multiple domains that differ incrementally from one another in terms of locality: they are available at DP, PP, vP, AspectP, FinP, and ForceP. Second, I argue that, at least in Rural Palestinian Arabic, the information structure literature and the phase theory literature essentially describe the same phenomena, with the central argument being that …

Picturing Consumer Culture, Cultural Hybridity, And Womanhood: Farah Al Qasimi’S Photographs From 2012 To 2020, Minji Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Farah Al Qasimi’s 2012-2020 color photographs, arguing that this work presents a distinctive and salient critique of domesticity, material culture, and womanhood in the UAE. Through her lens as a woman and a culturally hybrid subject, Al Qasimi explores the tensions of modernization, globalization, consumerism, and gender.

Prevalence And Determinants Of Perceived Stress Among Undergraduate Respiratory Therapy Students In Saudi Arabia, Abdulmajeed Baogbah

Respiratory Therapy Theses

Background: Stress is a common phenomenon among health sciences students, severely impacting students in different ways. Similar to other students, undergraduate Respiratory Therapy (RT) students are at a high risk of stress exposure that may harm their well-being. To enhance students’ well-being, it is essential to examine the prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate RT students. Purpose: This research aims to assess the prevalence of perceived stress and identify variable sources of stress among undergraduate RT students in Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the academic year (2023-2024) to explore the prevalence and determinants …

"Speak Arabic!": Arabic Dialect Comparison Videos And The Reconfiguration Of The Maghreb-Mashreq Language Ideology, Jacquelyn Stewart-Kuhn

Honors Theses

There is a hidden power imbalance in the Arabic-speaking world. It is not related to warfare, politics, or oil, but language. For decades, Egyptian and Levantine (Mashreqi) dialects have been over-represented in Arabic language media, to the detriment of North African (Maghrebi) dialects. This imbalance has played a crucial role in reinforcing what Hachimi (2013) refers to as the “Maghreb-Mashreq language ideology,” i.e. the belief that Mashreqi dialects are superior to Maghrebi dialects. Yet in an era of social media, Mashreqi voices and dialects are becoming less dominant, and Arabic-speakers across the region are being increasingly exposed to Maghrebi voices …

Visibility In The Redacted Space: What Censored Poetry Reveals About Guantanamo Bay Prison And The Individuals Trapped Inside, Chase Portaro

English Capstone Projects

This paper discusses what readers can understand about Guantanamo Bay and the larger setting of America's Islamophobic "War on Terror" through the poetry of individuals detained inside of Guantanamo Bay Military Prison. In 2002, Mark Falkoff, with the help of a team of lawyers, translators, and human rights advocates published a collection of twenty-two detainee-authored poems, titled Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak. This paper discusses the emerging neo-colonial subjectivity of America's War on Terror, as it analyzes the available writings of Guantanamo poets. The new language of subjectivity of victims of contemporary American empire is defined by suppression, as …

Student Perceptions Of Icc Development And The Reasons For It During Casa@Auc, Stephen Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Research has described how studying abroad has become a major goal in the Arabic world, focusing on understanding the ideas and way of life of another culture and people. Study abroad programs increase students' “Intercultural communicative competence” as indicated by researchers like Maharaja (2018) and Lee and Song (2019). The current study is a case study involving three participants. It focuses on students' perceptions of the influence of the CASA@AUC study abroad program on their intercultural communicative competence (ICC) as reflected by ACTFL performance indicators they are capable of executing. Results of the study indicate that they have reached advanced …

The Utilitarian Islamic Modernity Of Ḥasan Al-ʿAṭṭār (1766–1835), Ian Greer

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I describe and analyze the manifestations of modern thought in the life and works of Ḥasan al-ʿAṭṭār (d. 1835), an Egyptian Islamic scholar who served as Shaykh al-Azhar in the 1830s, in concert with Muḥammad ʿAlī Pasha. These manifestations were significantly influenced by the writings and ideas of Ottoman ʿulamāʿ and political elites which al-ʿAṭṭār would have encountered during his 10-year journey across the Empire. The thesis will also explore the content of al-ʿAṭṭār’s political, legal and social thought, which was guided by a unique form of ‘Islamic utilitarianism’ which reaches across his writings and the reforms …

Codeswitching In The Egyptian Arabic Movies: How Do Social Variables Trigger Codeswitching?, Randa Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This is a qualitative study designed to examine the growing linguistic practice of codeswitching in a sociolinguistic context. For this purpose, 7 Egyptian Arabic films were purposefully selected to investigate what social variables and contexts can be associated with codeswitching. Data was sampled in 43 experts from the 7 films. The data was analyzed in terms of the social variables of education, social class, identity, stance, and age, within the theoretical framework of the critical discourse analysis, the accommodation theory, and the social arena theory. Although the study started with these social variables in mind, data analysis revealed two …

Scattered Fragments: Art, Architecture, And Archives In Revolutionary Urban Cairo, Mounira M. Makar

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes how revolutions impact urban Cairo and its communities, specifically within artistic, architectural and archival practice while acknowledging the central role of public spaces in giving way to such revolutionary practices. Fundamentally, this paper highlights the foundational nature of such practices in developing urban communities.

Identity Formation In The Lebanese-American Christian Diaspora, Matthew Cesar Audi

Honors Projects

Since the late 1800s, people have immigrated to the United states from Lebanon and Syria, and the community’s racial and ethnic position within the United States has been contested ever since. Previous research emphasizes that while people from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are legally classified as “white” on the U.S. Census. However, many people from the region do not identify as white, and they often face discrimination or threats of violence. For people of Arab and Christian backgrounds this is further complicated because they are a part of the majority through their religion, but part of a …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Sound System Of Abha Arabic, Ibrahim Al Malwi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

There is a great need for research to be undertaken in regard to under-documented dialects. Thus, this research was conducted with the primary aim of investigating the sound system of Abha Arabic which is spoken in the south-west of Saudi Arabia. Abha Arabic is an under-studied Arabic dialect compared to other varieties of Arabic. This research comprises three studies (Studies 1-3), details of which are presented in Chapters 3-5 respectively. These studies collectively involve speech analyses of 8130 tokens from 44 native Abha Arabic speakers (22 males and 22 females). The first study (reported in Chapter 3) was conducted to …

The School Of SharīʿA Judges: SharīʿA Courts’ Reform And Legal Modernization In Egypt (1907-1927), Yamen Nouh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studied the history of the school of sharīʿa judges (1907-1927) as an essential episode of the reform of Sharīʿa courts in Egypt in the early 20th century. The thesis studied the school in connection with the broader context of legal modernization of the Egyptian legal system. The study explored the institutional, pedagogical, and legal aspects of the reform that the school advocated. The study analyzed the impact of the school’s pedagogy on the practice of the Islamic judiciary and the theoretical conception of Sharīʿa. The study used a significant yet understudied historical source: the judicial press. A comparative …

We Have Arabic At This School?: The Impact Of Neoliberalism And Orientalism On Arabic Education In The United States, Ella V. Pastore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research examines Arabic education in the United States at the undergraduate level, highlighting the question: How do forces such as Orientalism, globalization, and neoliberalism affect the way that the Arabic language is taught and recognized in the United States? The Arabic programs of three highly accredited American universities are presented, in relation to their Japanese programs. While Japanese is a language that faces its own Orientalisms and imperial history with the West, Japan is currently not a country that is prioritized through national security interests, with Arabic being designated as a “Critical Language”. Through examination of the advertisement of …

From Periphery To Center: Re-Presenting Black And Afro-Arab Characters In Contemporary Arabic Literature, Samer Ahmad Mayyas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black Arabs and Afro-Arabs tend not to be centered in Arabic discourse, especially modern Arabic literature, and Black people of other ethnicities are marginalized, as if Black peoples and Afro-Arabs were not part of the history and present-day of the Arabic-speaking world. I explore in this dissertation project the representations and experiences of Black and Afro-Arabs in contemporary Arabic fictional narratives. I argue that the contemporary literary era sees a shift in re-presenting Black peoples and Afro-Arabs in the Arabic fictional discourse. By moving Black and Afro-Arab characters from periphery to center, contemporary Arab writers challenge and disrupt, in an …

The Impact Of The First Language Transfer On English Language Syntax For Arab Esl Students At Private Language Center In Mid-Size University Town, Mohammed A. S. Abdalhadi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the Impact of the First Language Transfer on English Language Syntax for Arab ESL Students at Private Language Center in Mid-Size University Town. The research population was 12 participants from Spring International Language Center through Intensive English Program and 7 participants from Adult Education center. The writing samples and interview were the main two instruments to analyze the data. I used constructive Analysis (CA), Error Analysis (EA), and coding to analyze the writing samples and the interview. The study focused on the syntax transfer between Arabic L1 and English L2, so Adjective/noun order, Subject/verb order, Number/numbered order, …