This article investigates the transregional cultural magazine Al-Arabi (al-‘Arabi) during the late 1950s and 1960s 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 photography for illustrations as a way of stimulating transnational understanding during times of substantial change in the region. Consequently, an analysis of Al-Arabi provides 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 publishing, while also forming part of a global illustrated magazine culture. Using a transdisciplinary approach, the article combines archival research and interviews with the media-historical and art-historical analyses of text, image and graphic design.
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A‘zab (1958). Ana sa‘id fi ‘uzubati [I’m Happy With My Single Life]. al-‘Arabi 1: 142–144.
al-‘Arabi (1958). Qisat 32 miliyun nakhla [The Story of 32 Million Dates], 1: 33–49.
al-‘Arabi (1959a). Surat al-ghulaf [Cover Picture], 3: 3.
al-‘Arabi (1959b). Hadhihi hiya al-Kuwayt [This Is Kuwait], 3: 66–94.
al-‘Arabi (1959c). Fatat al-shurta [Police Women], 5: 145–149.
al-‘Arabi (1959d). Amina al-Sa‘id tatamanna law kanat rajulan [Amina al-Sa‘id Wishes She Were a Man], 8: 47–51.
al-‘Arabi (1960a). Matba‘at hukumat al-Kuwayt [Kuwait’s Government Printing Press], 16: 86–103.
al-‘Arabi (1960b). Hadhihi Qatar (bi-l-alwan) [This Is Qatar (in Color)], 18: 61–95.
al-‘Arabi (1960c). Dubay: Finisya al-khalij al-‘arabi (bi-l-alwan) [Dubai: Venice of the Arab Gulf (in Color)], 22: 68–98.
al-Saqqaf, Ahmad (2008). al-Jary khalf ‘al-hulm al-jamil’ [The Process behind ‘The Beautiful Dream’]. al-‘Arabi 601: 82–85.
Buthayna (1959). Nisa’ ‘araftuhunna wahidat [The Women I Got to Know Were Lonely]. al-‘Arabi 7: 78–81.
Dahir, Mas‘ud (2008). al-‘Arabi tarsumu ‘kharita tariq’ li-tajdid al-fikr al-qawmi [Al-Arabi Draws a ‘Road Map’ for the Renewal of Pan-Arab Thinking]. al-‘Arabi 601: 86–91.
Fathi, Muhammad (1959). al-Idha‘a ‘amil khatir fi tawhid al-lahjat [The Radio Plays a Significant Role in the Unification of Vernacular Languages]. al-‘Arabi 2: 147–148.
Hilana (1959). Sira‘ fi mahkama: hal tajizu al-misihiyya ta‘addud al-zawjat? [Battle in Court: Does Christianity Allow Polygamy?]. al-‘Arabi 7: 137–139.
Ibn Zahr (1959). al-Dajaj: Lahm wa-bayd wa-sulalat ‘ajiba [The Chicken: Meat, Eggs and Strange Offspring] al-‘Arabi 6: 116–130.
Kurshid, Faruq (1958). al-Idha‘a al-‘arabiyya aqwa silah li-tawhid al-watan al-‘arabi [Arab Radio Is the Strongest Weapon for Unifying the Arab Homeland]. al-‘Arabi 1: 111–113.
Muharrir al-Mar’a (1959). Tahrir al-mar’a zada nisbat al-talaq [The Liberation of Women Leads to an Increasing Number of Divorces]. al-‘Arabi 6: 71–74.
Mutazawwij (1959). Ana sa‘id fi zawaji [I’m Happy in My Marriage]. al-‘Arabi 2: 120–122.
Rashid, ‘Uliya (1959). Thalathu nisa’ la hami lahunna [Three Women Without an Attorney]. al-‘Arabi 2: 116–119.
Sakakani, Widad (1959). al-Tasawwuf tahajjud wa-ta‘abbud wa-fana’ [Sufism Is Spending the Night in Prayer, Devotion and Evanescence]. al-‘Arabi 4: 133–137.
Zaki, Ahmad (1958a). Hurriyyat al-‘arab lan yahwalu dunaha itlaq sawarikh aw infijar darrat [The Freedom of the Arabs: Without It, They Will Neither Launch Rockets nor Split Atoms]. al-‘Arabi 1: 6–9.
Zaki, Ahmad (1958b). Tahiyya ila jaysh al-tahrir al-jaza’iri [Greeting to the Algerian Liberation Army]. al-‘Arabi 1: 10–18.
Zaki, Ahmad (1959a). Mihna [Severe Test]. al-‘Arabi 5: 6–9.
Zaki, Ahmad (1959b). Qisat al-‘Arabi [The Story of al-‘Arabi]. al-‘Arabi 9: 5–11.
Zaki, Ahmad (1959c). Hadha ‘id al-milad al-awwal lil-‘arabi fa-kullu ‘amm wa-antum bikhayr [This Is the First Anniversary of al-‘Arabi: Happy Birthday]. al-‘Arabi 13: 8–12.
Zaki, Ahmad (1963). Fa-l-nuqidu shama‘at fi l-dikra al-rabi‘a li-milad al-‘arabi [Let’s Light Candles for the Fourth Anniversary of the Birth of al-‘Arabi]. al-‘Arabi 50: 8–12.
Zabbal, Salim and Oscar Mitri (1960). Arba‘u imarat ‘arabiyya majhula ‘ala sahil ‘uman (bi-l-alwan) [Four Unknown Arab Emirates on the Coast of Oman (in Color)]. al-‘Arabi 24: 72–93.
al-Kawakib (1950). Na‘ima Akif: Najma film ‘baba ‘aris’ [Na‘ima Akif: Star of the Film ‘Daddy Groom’], 18: cover.
al-Musawwar (1952). Aghna rajul fi l-‘alam [The Richest Men in the World], 1432: cover.
Jamati, Habib (1963). al-Kuwait fi khidmat al-‘arab [Kuwait in the Service of the Arabs]. al-Musawwar, no no., n.p. Accessed 21 August 2020: https://dawoodtreasury.com/product/الكويت-في-خدمة-العرب-حبيب-جاماتي-مجلة
Abu-Ayyash, Abdullah (1980). Urban Development and Planning Strategies in Kuwait. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 4 (4): 549–571.
al-‘Arabi (2009). Taqrir li-l-yubil al-dhahabi li-majalla al-‘arabi al-juz‘ al-awwal [Documentary for the fiftieth anniversary of al-‘Arabi, part 1] (2009). Video, 17:11 min. Accessed 21 August 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4uDLOUgKT0.
Alaraby TV (2018). Khalij al-‘Arab: al-Dhikra al-situn li-ta‘sis majalla al-‘arabi al-kuwaitiyya [The Arab Gulf: 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Kuwaiti journal al-‘Arabi]. Video, 28:00 min. Accessed 21 August 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EWJ80KY6C8. 21 December 2018.
al-Jazaf, Sultan (2019). Hadiyyat al-kuwait li-l-kull al-‘arab [Gift of Kuwait to all Arabs]. al-Qabas. Accessed 22 August 2020: https://alqabas.com/en/article/5738881-alarabi-magazine-kuwait39s-gift-to-all-arabs. 30 December 2019.
al-Ghabra, Shafiq Nazim (2020). Hal tasmud Kuwait: kayfa wa-li-madha? [Will Kuwait persist: How and why?]. al-Quds al-Arabi. Accessed 22 July 2020: https://www.alquds.co.uk/هل-تصمد-الكويت-كيف-ولماذا؟/ August 2020.
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This article investigates the transregional cultural magazine Al-Arabi (al-‘Arabi) during the late 1950s and 1960s 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 photography for illustrations as a way of stimulating transnational understanding during times of substantial change in the region. Consequently, an analysis of Al-Arabi provides 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 publishing, while also forming part of a global illustrated magazine culture. Using a transdisciplinary approach, the article combines archival research and interviews with the media-historical and art-historical analyses of text, image and graphic design.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 344 | 146 | 17 |
Full Text Views | 59 | 21 | 1 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 115 | 26 | 3 |