Latest news with #Orientalists
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Where do teachers' freedom on how to teach stop?
The authorities can decide what to teach. But the decision of how to teach is the sole responsibility of the teacher. This is one of the unshakable beliefs of teachers. History records the Orientalists' protest against the introduction of the Anglican code of knowledge into higher education during British rule. Similarly, there have been protests for teaching in the vernacular. Orientalists in India themselves were opposed to the inclusion of the Anglican code of knowledge, but there was almost universal agreement among the freedom struggle leaders to use the vernacular. What subjects should be included in the curriculum is still a matter of contention and controversy. Academic freedom is often debated over what to teach. But we still believe that how to teach is beyond debate and within the complete freedom of teachers. Teacher (Hindustan Times (PIC FOR REPRESENTATION)) During colonial rule, the academic freedom of university and college teachers in India was severely restricted. As outlined in policies such as Lord Macaulay's Educational Minutes (1835), there were curricula aimed at promoting European literature and science. There was little room for innovative or critical pedagogical approaches in the educational system for producing clerks and colonial subjects with a disdain for native their literature. The opening of Sanskrit colleges in Calcutta (1824), Agra (1860), and Madras (1906) may be exceptional cases, a kind of cherry-picking in the history of academic freedom of what to teach during colonial India. However, the core questions of academic freedom of how to teach were never raised in these institutions either. There is no evidence that the lack of freedom for teachers to foster critical thinking within the classroom or to challenge colonial ideologies has led to any debate. But this doesn't mean that there are no victims of how to teach in India. A careful examination would help us to locate a few examples. The colonial government enacted laws such as the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 and Section 124A (relating to sedition) of the Indian Penal Code which restricted free expression. This has significantly affected not only the media but also academic discourse. Expressing views critical of British rule led to situations where punitive measures were invoked. These laws led to the suppression of dissenting voices within educational institutions and acted as a fetter on academic freedom. Not only colonial interests but also the protests of narrow-minded natives led to the restriction of academic freedom. Under the shadow of the existing colonial laws, strong actions were taken against the teachers as well. Henri Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–1831), assistant headmaster of the Hindu College in Calcutta, encouraged his students to think critically and question the content of textbooks and established traditions of the system. His progressive ideas and promotion of free thought led to his expulsion from the college in April 1831 under pressure from conservative sections of society who saw him as a threat to orthodox beliefs, as reported by Joseph Black and colleagues, in their seminal work 'The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Volume 1: The Medieval Period'. Similarly, the experience of James Long (1814–1887) an Irish missionary and teacher who translated Dinabandhu Mitra's Bengali play 'Neel Darpan', into English, which depicts the exploitation of Indian peasants by British indigo planters. Dinabandhu Mitra was Long's student at CMS School, Amherst Street, Kolkata. In 1861, after the play became popular, he was fined and sentenced to one month in prison for attempting to libel the British government as recorded by Geoffrey A. Odie (1999) in his book Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814–87. Educator and activist Ishwardatt Medharti was an Indian freedom fighter who used his teaching as a means of freedom struggle. A teacher of a Kanpur-based school Sri Dayananda Bharatiya Vidyalaya in 1929, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the colonial government because of his participation in the Bardoli satyagraha. After his release, Maren Belwinkel-Schemp in his book Ishvardatt Medharthi: Life & Message (2004) notes that he continued his campaigns of civil disobedience and served three years in prison after participating in the Uppu Satyagraha in 1930. Thousands of such teachers, both documented and undocumented, may have been subjected to severe disciplinary measures during colonial times for exercising their academic freedom of how to teach. In India, there appears to be an academic slumber around the broader understanding of academic freedom, one that extends beyond the question of what to teach to include how to teach. A critical reading of the educational policy documents starting from the NPE 1968 to the NEP (2020) shows that academic freedom has been defined as the right of teachers against unfair disciplinary measures, freedom of speech and freedom to choose research topics of choice. Policy documents envisioned that authorities (NCERT/ Universities) held the mandate to decide what to teach. Even, how to teach is rarely acknowledged as part of their academic freedom, let alone encouraged. We have a situation where the idea of academic freedom of teachers is mistaken for the idea of academic freedom of authorities. Going a step further, the National Education Policy 2020 advocates that teachers should be given freedom in how to teach as well as what to teach. But NEP 2020, which used the idea of freedom to choose the teaching method of the teachers in the most dominant way, reduces academic freedom to the definition of autonomy, which entangles academic freedom into the snare of culpability of their decisions. Academic freedom must be understood as the teacher's right to shape both the content and method of teaching through their knowledge and creativity, free from external constraints. Without this, pedagogical creativity becomes a caged parrot confined by institutional frameworks and authority-driven agendas. We need to reconceptualise the idea of academic freedom in India, not merely as the freedom of authorities, but also as the teacher's freedom to decide what and how to teach. Policy documents and the media have a critical role and responsibility in this process. This article is authored by Amruth G Kumar, professor, School of Education, Central University of Kerala, Kasargode.
Al Etihad
05-07-2025
- Al Etihad
Heritage Conference recommends documentation of travel literature
5 July 2025 19:02 SHARJAH (WAM)The Second Heritage Conference, organised by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage under the theme 'Popular Heritage Through the Eyes of Others', took place at the Arab Heritage Centre in the University City of conference issued several scientific and cultural recommendations to enhance studies on travel literature, and representations of the "other" in popular urged a reevaluation of the writings of travellers and Orientalists using contemporary scientific criticism advocated for analytical comparisons between groups of travellers, from various geographical regions and similar time periods, to derive a more realistic portrayal and compare it with available local attendees emphasised the need to establish practical laboratories for translating Western research and studies on travel literature, and forming scientific committees to review untranslated travel accounts, particularly Russian the recommendations was the proposal to extend the conference from two to three days, and to publish the presented research in a scientific also suggested creating an online library featuring works of travellers and Orientalists, along with a specialised database for researchers and translators in this recommendations further called for stimulating critical studies addressing representations of the "other" in popular heritage through various approaches, including anthropology, semiotics, narratives, and post-colonial they highlighted the need to examine the interaction between oral and narrative cultures as described by travellers, questioning the ideological and epistemological backgrounds that shaped their representations, and deconstructing the positions of self and other in their Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, stated, "The recommendations from the Second Heritage Conference embody our vision at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, which aims to establish awareness of the importance of reading popular heritage from multiple perspectives, especially through the writings of travellers and Orientalists."Through this conference, we sought to initiate a critical intellectual dialogue with these records, opening new horizons for understanding the self and the other, and enhancing the presence of our heritage in the global cultural sphere with a scientific spirit and objective approach."
Sharjah 24
05-07-2025
- Sharjah 24
Heritage Conference recommends documentation of travel literature
Calls for contemporary critical analysis Participants urged a reevaluation of the writings of travelers and Orientalists using contemporary scientific criticism methodologies. They advocated for analytical comparisons between groups of travelers from various geographical regions and similar time periods to derive a more realistic portrayal and compare it with available local studies. Importance of practical laboratories The attendees emphasised the need to establish practical laboratories for translating Western research and studies on travel literature and forming scientific committees to review untranslated travel accounts, particularly Russian works. Extended conference duration and digital resources Among the recommendations was the proposal to extend the conference from two to three days and to publish the presented research in a scientific book. They also suggested creating an online library featuring works of travelers and Orientalists, along with a specialized database for researchers and translators in this field. Encouraging diverse critical studies The recommendations further called for stimulating critical studies addressing representations of the "other" in popular heritage through various approaches, including anthropology, semiotics, narratives, and post-colonial studies. Additionally, they highlighted the need to examine the interaction between oral and narrative cultures as described by travelers, questioning the ideological and epistemological backgrounds that shaped their representations and deconstructing the positions of self and other in their writings. Promoting heritage awareness Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, stated, "The recommendations from the Second Heritage Conference embody our vision at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, which aims to establish awareness of the importance of reading popular heritage from multiple perspectives, especially through the writings of travelers and Orientalists. Through this conference, we sought to initiate a critical intellectual dialogue with these records, opening new horizons for understanding the self and the other, and enhancing the presence of our heritage in the global cultural sphere with a scientific spirit and objective approach.
Saba Yemen
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
How did orientalism approach Al-Mutanabbi?
Amman - Saba: Jordanian researcher Hamza Amin explores in his book "Al-Mutanabbi in the Mirror of Orientalism" the study by French Orientalist Régis Blachère on Al-Mutanabbi, which examined the poet's personality, his poetry, and the social, political, intellectual, and ideological circumstances of his time. According to the Omani News Agency, the author explains that he chose Blachère's perspective because it extended to redrawing the historical, political, and intellectual frameworks in which Al-Mutanabbi operated, then meticulously rearranged his poetic history without overlooking the key artistic features of his poetry. Amin clarifies that Blachère's perspective represents the Western view of an Arab literary and critical phenomenon. Blachère's work was distinguished not only as that of a researcher but also as an Orientalist who applied the same analytical tools to Arabic literature as he did to foreign literature—an approach that may sometimes lead to confusion in conclusions and judgments. In his introduction to the book, Dr. Ghassan Abdul Khaliq notes that researcher Hamza Amin engaged with two highly "ambiguous and complex" issues: Al-Mutanabbi on one hand and Orientalism on the other. Amin "spared no effort in shedding light on many of the ambiguities surrounding this complexity." According to him, Al-Mutanabbi "was, is, and will remain a continent shrouded in mystery," while Blachère "was, is, and will remain a controversial Orientalist—with his merits and flaws." The book consists of an introduction, a preface, two chapters, and a conclusion. The preface discusses the concept of the "mirror" as a means of reflecting the image of Al-Mutanabbi as portrayed by Blachère for the West. It then defines Orientalism and provides biographies of Al-Mutanabbi and Blachère, followed by an overview of Al-Mutanabbi's image among Orientalists. The first chapter examines Al-Mutanabbi's poetic history from Blachère's perspective, covering the ideological and intellectual currents that influenced the poet, the chronological/poetic framework of his work, and concluding with the poetic themes Blachère highlighted, such as praise, satire, description, love poetry, and wisdom literature. The second chapter focuses on the artistic features of Al-Mutanabbi's poetry from Blachère's viewpoint, emphasizing the key stylistic elements that shaped the poet's diwan (collection of poems). These include the obscure and the unfamiliar, Al-Mutanabbi's fondness for similes and metaphors, antithesis as a recurring phenomenon, and skillful transitions in poetry. The book concludes by highlighting Al-Mutanabbi's image as a critical phenomenon in the fourth century according to Orientalists in general and Blachère in particular. It presents several findings and recommendations, most notably that Al-Mutanabbi did not appear in Orientalist discourse as a singular figure but rather as multiple images, depending on each scholar's perspective and field. Some Orientalists emphasized his historical significance, others deferred his importance to geography, while some classified him among the genius poets. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Sharjah 24
17-05-2025
- General
- Sharjah 24
SALA showcases Sharjah's initiatives to promote Arabic in the West
Panel Session Discussion During a panel titled 'Efforts of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah to Support Arabic in the West,' Mohamed Safi Al Mosteghanemi, Secretary-General of Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, emphasised that Arabic, as a bridge for intercultural dialogue, continues to be cherished by its native speakers and passionately studied by Orientalists and scholars in both Asia and Europe. These efforts, he noted, have translated into meaningful contributions that have helped establish Arabic's global standing. Immersive Language Initiative Al Mosteghanemi discussed the 'Language Immersion' initiative launched by the Academy under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The initiative brings academic delegations from global universities in Austria, Poland, Italy, and others to live among the people of Sharjah and engage with its cultural environment, thereby enhancing their linguistic skills beyond traditional classroom learning. Encyclopedia Project Emphasized He also referred to the 'Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia' project, overseen by the Academy, stating that such initiatives embody Sharjah's vision of promoting Arabic as a source of knowledge and human connection capable of transmitting ideas and cultures across nations. Keys to Linguistic Mastery He also outlined five key foundations for developing linguistic mastery. First is continuous and mindful reading, which broadens knowledge and strengthens expression. Second is deep engagement with "instrumental sciences" such as grammar, morphology, rhetoric, and prosody, which provide learners with analytical tools. The third key, he noted, is the role of a skilled teacher who can instill a love for Arabic among both native and non-native speakers. Role of Memorization Al Mosteghanemi also stressed the importance of memorisation in Arabic learning, citing Quranic verses, prophetic sayings, classical poetry, and wise proverbs, as a fourth essential element. The fifth and final key is systematic training, both oral and written, through regular sessions that allow learners to use the language in varied real-life situations. Festival Draws Global Voices The Arabic Language and Culture Festival, organized by the Institute of Arab Culture at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in collaboration with the Arabic Language Research Center, continued over four days until the 17th of the month. Held under the theme: 'The Migrant Tongue: Arabic Without Borders,' the festival's eighth edition welcomed 30 researchers, academics, and Arab writers from the diaspora, representing 18 countries. Focus on Arab Identity The festival spotlighted the presence of Arabic language and culture in Western contexts, addressing topics such as teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, updating grammar and rhetoric curricula, exploring Arab literature in the diaspora, issues of translation, and how Arabic texts are received in other languages, all tied to broader questions of identity and cultural integration.
