Shakespeare and the Construction of Modern Arabic Cultural Identity

FAIN: FT-54018-06

Mark A. Bayer
American University of Beirut (New York, NY 10017-2303)

Since Shakespeare was first translated into Arabic and performed on the stages of Cairo in the late nineteenth century, his plays have become a remarkably popular and durable cultural commodity for audiences throughout the Middle East. In this study, I look at the history of Shakespeare in the Arab world in an effort to uncover the various reasons for the Arabs’ surprising willingness to appropriate the quintessential symbol of Anglo- American literary achievement and a culture to which they are often so vociferously opposed. I argue that, for Arabs, Shakespeare has been a catalyst for self-reflection and a vehicle through which to negotiate a new cultural identity that merges traditional concerns with the ubiquitous influence of the West.