The Transregional Illustrated Magazine Al-Arabi Knowledge Production and Cultural Imaginations in the 195os and 196os

Graef, Bettina und Hindelang, Laura (2022): The Transregional Illustrated Magazine Al-Arabi Knowledge Production and Cultural Imaginations in the 195os and 196os. In: Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, Bd. 15, Nr. 3: S. 301-328

Abstract

This article investigates the transregional cultural magazine Al-Arabi (al-'Arabi) dur-ing the late 195os and 196os under its first editor, the Egyptian scientist Ahmad Zaki. Founded in Kuwait, the magazine's establishment and sociocultural-political agenda are reconstructed within the context of Kuwait's cultural diplomacy and pan-Arabism during decolonization and early Cold War politics. Al-Arabi offered timely discussions on Arab cities, gender, literature, politics and science, and readily embraced color pho-tography for illustrations as a way of stimulating transnational understanding during times of substantial change in the region. Consequently, an analysis of Al-Arabi pro-vides insights into historical strategies for re-imagining the region from within. Overall, the magazine can be situated in a long-standing tradition of Arab printing and pub-lishing, while also forming part of a global illustrated magazine culture. Using a trans -disciplinary approach, the article combines archival research and interviews with the media-historical and art-historical analyses of text, image and graphic design.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Kulturwissenschaften > Department für Kulturwissenschaften und Altertumskunde
• Themengebiete: 900 Geschichte und Geografie > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 1873-9857
• Sprache: Englisch