From the Mission to the Missionary: The Bliss Family and the Syrian Protestant College (1866-1920)

Zachs, Fruma

doi:10.1163/1570060054307552

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Zachs attributes to Eli Smith the role of a joint member of the promotion of the Beiruti literary circles, due to his genuine interests in the region and proactive engagement in the question of the makings of “Syria.” While the connection between the Protestant missionaries and their Christian Arab pupils has been both overly praised and intensely criticized, she explains that “the relationship between American missionaries and the local population was more complicated than that expressed” because “the missionary's attitude toward the region and its people was changing and flexible, due to the American missionary's own individual shifts in attitude” (Zachs, 2005a). Certainly, her commendation is appropriate, because one only has to look at the meticulous work Smith conducted in the study of the region and its peoples to ascertain the depth of his knowledge and understanding.…”

Section: Deconstructing the Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this comparison, it is seen that while no two tales are alike, their purposes and methodology can in fact be the same. This chapter seeks to deconstruct the works of Sylvia G. Haim (1953Haim ( , 1976, C. Ernest Dawn (1961Dawn ( , 1962Dawn ( , 1991, Rashid Khalidi (1991aKhalidi ( , 1991bKhalidi ( , 1997, and Fruma Zachs (2001Zachs ( , 2005aZachs ( , 2005b concerning the origins of Arab nationalism and analyze the implications of their conclusions via White's (1973White's ( , 1987 theory of historical narrativity and construction. It will focus specifically on the issues of who is credited with igniting the flames of nationalism.…”

Section: Deconstructing the Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the most contemporary contributor, Israeli historian Fruma Zachs arguably has the most syncretic view of the Protestant missionaries and illustrates them as misrepresented (Zachs, , , ). Although they may not fulfill the glowing portrait Antonius painted for them, they served a different yet profound purpose.…”

Section: Deconstructing the Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Proselytizing Nationalism: Protestant Missionaries and theArab Awakening Debate

Borders

2014

Digest Mid East Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article examines the historiographical debate concerning the origins of Arab nationalism as postulated by George Antonius in his book, The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement and the theory of historical construction. After establishing the theoretical framework of the study with an overview of Hayden White's views on how history is written, it progresses into a study of the historiography of Arab nationalism. Here, the scholars Sylvia G. Haim, C. Ernest Dawn, Rashid Khalidi, and Fruma Zachs and their writings are chronologically dissected, with each academic analyzed via White's theories of historical construction. Through studying their respective positions, it is shown that these texts are culturally relative according to the era in which they were written.It is argued that no work of scholarship can be fully removed from outside influences. Specifically, politicization of academics and the consequences of such endeavors are shown as inextricable from the created narrative. Because of the need for culturally relative knowledge so that it can be applicable to audiences outside of academia, scholars who write for an express purpose (such as answering a question for

show abstract

Section: Deconstructing the Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deconstructing the Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Proselytizing Nationalism: Protestant Missionaries and theArab Awakening Debate

Borders

2014

Digest Mid East Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From then on, many schools opted to introduce a trilingual system with English as a third language. At the university level, the American University of Beirut, one of the leading English medium university in Lebanon and in the Middle East, founded in 1866, had Arabic as the medium of instruction until 1882 after which studies began in English (see Abu Ghazaleh, 1990 andZachs, 2005 for a comprehensive account). A word on second versus foreign language teaching in relation to Lebanon is in order at this point.…”

Section: The Multilingual/multicultural Makeup Of the Lebanesementioning

confidence: 99%

Foreign Language Education in Lebanon: A Context of Cultural and Curricular Complexities

Bacha¹,

Bahous²

2011

JLTR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-Knowing more than one or two languages has always been a natural consequence of cultural exchange. Thus educational institutions the world over have placed teaching/learning of languages high on their agendas as they find the need for their students to be competitive in the global career arena. The communication among different cultures and the efforts of education have added to the multi lingual/culture of many countries. However, the growth of this multilingualism/multiculturalism is not without its questions concerning complexities involved in what attitudes do the learners hold towards learning languages, which languages should be taught and whether these languages would 'complex' the learners in finding their own native language 'inferior'. This study examines these complexities in Lebanon, a country long known for its multi lingual/cultural makeup, Specifically, the paper gives an overview of the cultural influences in the country over the past century and how this was responsible for the adoption of the foreign languages, mainly French and English, that coexist in the country today along with Arabic, the native language. The paper focus on the consequent educational trends in teaching/learning languages in noting the new National Curriculum changes in the 1990's after the civil war and how the policies were implemented at both the pre and tertiary sectors. Cultural, attitudinal, motivational and language acquisition factors are discussed in how the French medium and English medium schools accounted for them in their language curricula and how they impact learners' language development. The researchers debate whether the teaching/learning of foreign languages may eventually lead to the 'decline' of the national language, the latter being a 'complex' for the many, which is a concern that most countries are facing these days.

show abstract

International agendas and local manifestations: Universities in Cairo, Beirut and Jerusalem after World War I

Huber

2015

Prospects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article traces the influence of international networks in three Middle Eastern universities from the 1920s onwards: the American University of Beirut, the American University in Cairo and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It shows how American, internationalist, imperial and religious actors competed and how the universities were placed in these often overlapping or interconnected networks. It illustrates the complicated process of institutionalizing the new universities, for instance in financing them or validating degrees. The article also looks at the role the universities played in the attempt to transform local societies, as they devised outreach programmes and language policies that aimed to spread English, to simplify Arabic, or to modernize Hebrew.Keywords American University of Beirut Á American University in Cairo Á Hebrew University Á Internationalism Á Outreach programmes Á Elite formation Á Language policiesIn the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, the Middle East hosted a plethora of educational initiatives. Colonial institutions were established; missionaries of different denominations launched various projects, often working with benevolent societies and American foundations; traditional institutions of learning were transformed to meet international standards; and educators experimented with different forms of indigenous education. Such efforts coexisted in Beirut,

show abstract

From the Mission to the Missionary: The Bliss Family and the Syrian Protestant College (1866-1920)

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Proselytizing Nationalism: Protestant Missionaries and theArab Awakening Debate

Proselytizing Nationalism: Protestant Missionaries and theArab Awakening Debate

Foreign Language Education in Lebanon: A Context of Cultural and Curricular Complexities

International agendas and local manifestations: Universities in Cairo, Beirut and Jerusalem after World War I

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About