Arabic Book Club Offers Insight on Impact of Publications About Gaza
With the virulent public debate on both sides of the war in Gaza, the Arabic Book Club at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) diverged from its typical single-book discussion format to analyze publications about Israel and Palestine in the previous year. Panelists at the Arabic-language event included Dr. Khaled AL-Hroub, Professor in Residence at Northwestern Qatar, Dr. Ayat Hamdan, and Dr. Hani Awad, both Researchers at Doha Institute’s Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
“It’s important to look at what narratives are being produced from a scholarly lens,” said event moderator Dr. Yehia Mohamed, GU-Q Associate Professor of Arabic and club founder. He noted an increase in Palestinian think tank publications over the previous year, and the response of publishing houses which have focused on reprinting old volumes with updates in light of developments in the region, rather than putting out new literature.
The panelists talked about the differences between scholarly material, which tended to be more descriptive of events, and commercial publications which aim to capitalize on the polemic on both sides in order to sell more books. “The battles in the field have moved to publishing houses,” said Dr. Al-Hroub adding: “You find the same trends that exist politically, extending to the academic and research fields.”
Several Arabic literature trends over the previous year were discussed, including, as Dr. Hamadan pointed out, influential texts like Azmi Bishara’s book The Flood, which gave voice to concerns that Israel and its supporters have crafted a narrative about the events of October 7 which has enabled them to pursue their agenda more aggressively.
Dr. Awad compared Arab and Israeli reactions to the media broadcasting of October 7, 2023 Go-pro camera footage shot by Hamas fighters. The ensuing discussion focused on the diversity of interpretations of these events by Arab intellectuals and media outlets, and the galvanizing effects it had on the Israeli side, who used the footage to garner support for waging war on Palestine.
What emerged from this analysis was a picture of the role that academic and media publications have played in political storytelling this year, and the important role that research and publishing can play in contributing to either resolving or escalating violence in the future.
About the Arabic Book Club
Founded in 2016, the GU-Q Arabic Book Club seeks to advance the Arabic language by offering a lively discussion forum for the Arabic-speaking community in Qatar.