TITLE:
The Controversy of the Term Arab/s throughout Time
AUTHORS:
Huda Al-Matrafi
KEYWORDS:
Definition, History, Arab, Controversies, Language
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
18,
2018
ABSTRACT: The Arab world is the West’s closest neighbour across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Oceans, yet little is known of it or of its peoples and their origins. Despite many texts that have been written on the Arab world, the term “Arab” and the origins of Arabs, issues remain that continue to generate debates and disputes. Many works and studies have examined the term “Arab/s” and have focused on defining the term “Arab/s” in various time periods; however, this paper discusses the controversies that surround these issues. In other words, it examines both the opposed and shared Western and Eastern perspectives of the term throughout time. The paper focuses on the origins of the term and the ways new connotations have developed throughout time due to political and social issues; however, it was concluded that regardless of the number of controversies or the number of new connotations that have developed, the term Arab/s still refers to a group of people with a shared language and a shared heritage.