Middle Ground Exploring Selected Literature

from and about the Middle Eastby Sheryl L Finkle & Tamara J. Lily

Presented by:Meghan Arnold, Casey Duvall, and Ted Ramey

What is the Middle East?

Misunderstood and Misrepresented

• A generalized understanding of the Middle East is complicated by diversity in culture, religion, ethnicity, and language.

• Western students often think of ancient Egypt when referring to the Middle East.

• Some students have trouble articulating their opinions about the Middle East.

• There exists an “us and them” mentality.• There is a lack of understanding between cultures, especially

with regard to religion .

Diversity

Multiethnic Multireligious

Multicultural Multilingual

Multiethnic

ArabsIranians or

Persians

Turks JewsKurds

BerbersArmenians

NubiansAzeris

Greeks

Multireligious

Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Sunni

Shi’a

Multicultural

UrbanRural

Multilingual

Semitic Languages:Arabic, Hebrew

and Aramaic

Indo-European Languages:

Kurdish, Persian, and Armenian

Turkish Languages: Turkish and Azeri

Shared Values among Middle Eastern Culture (especially Arab culture)

Honor

The scared

Modesty

Humility

A seamless connections

between generations

The nuclear family

What is Middle Eastern Literature?

Author resides in the Middle East and writes from regional

traditions.

Author resides outside the Middle East but has been noted by academic sources or awarded literary prizes for quality writing

about the Middle East.

Author has resided in the Middle East and the West, uses the Middle East as

a setting or subject matter, and perhaps writes from regional

traditions.

Texts from the Middle EastReligious • Hebrew scriptures and New Testament parables highlight

the impact of Judeo-Christian values.• The Koran helps students explore the Islam’s moral and

religious foundations. • The Koran demonstrates the typical Arabic style of

expression, which is characterized by deliberate and meaningful repetition, rhythm, and complex rhyme.

• The biographies of the prophet Muhammad and Saladin present an alternative view of Middle Eastern history.

Poetry• Students may explore older Middle Eastern poems and

compare the innovation of eastern and western poetry.• The maqamat, which are collections of rhymed prose

(closest to western short stories) may be used to teach students how creative writing adapts to culture

• Students may study modern poetry (i.e. Gibran) to understand the influence of European romanticism.

Middle Eastern tales (i.e. Arabian Nights), folklore, rihla, drama, novels, short stories, and proverbs may also be incorporated into a

larger genre unit.

Themes often present in Middle Eastern Literature

family/friendships

pride/prejudice

freedom/oppression

individual/society

youth/aging

destiny/free will

roles/selfhood

politics/nationalism/religion

war/peace/violence

justice/injustice

wealth/poverty

initiation/innocence

forgiveness/revenge

humanity/inhumanity

Resources for selecting Middle Eastern Texts

• Middle East Studies Association http://mesa.arizona.edu• The Middle East Center http://mec.sas.upenn.edu/resources/teachinglibrary.html• Modern Middle East Literature in Translation Series

http://menic.utexas.edu/cmes/pub/melt.htm• Middle East Outreach Council and Middle East Book Award http://meoc.us/• Middle East and Islamic Studies Collection (Arabic, Persian, Turkish), Cornell

University Library http://www.library.cornell.edu/collldev/mideast/home.htm• Middle East and Islamic Studies Collection (Hebrew Literature), Columbia

University Library http://www.colubia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/mideast/cuvlm/hebrew_lit.html

• The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature http://www.ithl.org.il/authors.html

• Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arab Literature http://www.banipal.co.uk/home/index.php

Why should we teach Middle Eastern Literature in Secondary English?

Responding to Changing U.S. Demographics ( Expanding American Literature)

Expanding Multi-cultural perspectives

Texts from and about the Middle East build awareness and knowledge of others’ cultures and the texts’ impact on the cultures’ members (disequilibrium with literature provokes further interest)

Texts from and about the Middle East foster an awareness of how each student’s own cultural identity impacts his or her attitudes, beliefs and behavior.

Texts from and about the Middle East build self-identity and the ability to accept others individually and across cultural borders.

Middle Eastern literature offers students opportunities to recognize human connections and participate in dialogue about human controversies. (enhances student enjoyment)

Develop an understanding of Middle Eastern families and

characters’ within social contexts using cultural modeling and

comparisons. Provide a geographic

and/or historical reference point to

introduce the topic.

Principles for Teaching Middle Eastern Literature

Promote a healthy and respectful dialog of human rights, cultural diversity, and alternative

value systems.

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Cultural Context• St. Louis → Jerusalem comparisons• Intercultural explorations (American, Arabic, Armenian, Jewish)

Develop an understanding of Middle Eastern families and

characters’ within social contexts using cultural modeling and

comparisons.

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Historical Context• Liyana’s father as guide• Jerusalem as setting

Provide a geographic and/or historical

reference point to introduce the topic.

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Contemporary Context• Before: American education• After: Liyana’s friends and family

experience the conflicts first-hand

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Addressing Intolerance• Her friends share misconceptions• Romeo and Juliet story

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Cultural Awareness• Theme of cultural relativism• Doesn’t shirk difficult subjects

Promote a healthy and respectful dialog of human rights, cultural diversity, and alternative

value systems.

Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye

Authenticity• Every group is represented w/ duality• Liyana’s arc is universal

Middle Ground on Teaching Habibi

Rationale• Relatable• Personal• Informative

Lesson Ideas• Map Liyana’s Journey• Anger Fishbowl• “Big God” Jigsaw

Creating Classroom Connections

Effective lessons and projects coupled with Middle Eastern texts “make students more aware of, conversant about, and proactive in addressing issues of otherness…in texts, other individuals, and the world around them.” (Finkle, 41)

Advancing to a “Middle Ground”

Texts Individuals World

Exposure Empathy Expansion

Beginning Instruction:Exposure

People of

different religions should

get along.

Neighboring families share

common values.

Learning about other cultures divides people

because it makes them more aware

of their differences

4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

Create an opinionaire addressing multicultural themes and international issues found inside the text. (43)

Beginning Instruction:Exposure

Habibi Research Topics:

Who are the Israelis?Who are the Palestinians?

What is the Palestine Liberation Organization, and why does it

exist?

Maps of the contested areas

What is the current international political plan for peace?

Why does the world care about the conflict?

Webquest or research assignments that expand their prior knowledge of any current or historical conflicts in the text. (50)

Personalizing Instruction:Empathy

Organize projects outside the classroom or events inside the classroom that connect Middle Eastern and American traditions and lifestyle. (48)

Personalizing Instruction:Empathy

Bring in foods found in Liyana’s family’s house (pine nuts, figs, olives) or Muslim prayer rugs; create Palestinian cultural artifacts (decorated tiles) or watch documentaries of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers. (48-49)

Create journals from the different perspectives in the texts (56); share and analyze differing journalistic accounts (i.e. BBC and Al-Jahzeera).

Personalizing Instruction:Empathy

Habibi Relevant TopicsWardrobe

DatingReligious Worship

Gender RolesFamily Meals and Gatherings

Have students create a photo-journal that compares their life in America, and how their life might be different in the Middle East.

Globalizing Instruction:Expansion

Expose students to a wide range of materials and smaller texts that reflect the many voices in Middle Eastern society.Naomi Shihab Nye’s The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East. (123)

Joe Sacco’s Palestine. (131)

The Thousand and One Nights, the Koran, or ancient and modern Arabian “ghazal” poetry.