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ID: 092628

Arab Street: tracking a political metaphor / Regier, Terry; Khalidi, Muhammad Ali

Khalidi, Muhammad Ali	Journal Article
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2009.

Summary/Abstract

Understanding Arab public opinion is central to the search for sustainable political solutions in the Middle East. The way Westerners think about Arab public opinion may be affected by how it is referred to in their news media. Here, we show that Arab public opinion is rarely referred to as such in the US media. Instead, it is usually referred to as the Arab street, a metaphor that casts Arab public opinion as irrational and volatile. We trace the origins of this metaphor to similar expressions in both English and Arabic, and note similarities and important differences between the English and Arabic usages. Ultimately, we argue that the Arab street metaphor misrepresents the Arab public, and invites dismissal of rather than engagement with Arab public opinion.

Key Words

Middle East ; Arab ; Metaphor ; Arab Street ; Political Metaphor

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ID: 144591

Perceptions of Palestine: the view from large linguistic datasets / Regier, Terry

Regier, Terry	Article
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Summary/Abstract

Cultural norms and trends are often reflected in patterns of language use. This article explores cultural perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians in the English-speaking world, through two analyses of large linguistic datasets. The first analysis seeks to uncover current conceptions of participants in the Israel-Palestine conflict, by identifying words that are distinctively associated with those participants in modern English usage. The second analysis asks what historical-cultural changes led to these current conceptions. A general theme that emerges from these analyses is that a cultural shift appears to have occurred recently in the English-speaking world, marked by greater awareness of Palestinian perspectives on the conflict. Possible causes for such a cultural shift are also explored.

Key Words

Israel-Palestine conflict ; Framing ; Cultural Shift ; Google ; Language Use

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