Arab identity

Author's name: Suad Al-Anzi

Originally a master's thesis submitted by the researcher at the University of Brighton in the Philosophy and Critical Theory program in 2011, it examines representations of the Arab identity theme in the book "Orientalism" by the Palestinian-American thinker Edward Said, and the book "Deadly Identities" by the Lebanese-French writer Amin Maalouf. The first chapter analyzes "Orientalism" in terms of its general ideas, chapters, and the book's most important strengths, such as Said's application of the theory of "power and knowledge" by the French philosopher Michel Foucault, and the concept of the "organic intellectual" by the thinker Antonio Gramsci. The second chapter analyzes the negative criticism directed at the book, presents the most important methodological gaps in the book, and clarifies the negative impact of misinterpretations of the book, such as the widening gap between East and West.