The Arab Street: Tracking a Political Metaphor

Middle East Journal 63 (1):11-29 (2009)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Understanding Arab public opinion is central to the search for sustainable po- litical 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 impor- tant 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.

Author's Profile

Muhammad Ali Khalidi
CUNY Graduate Center

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-12-22

Downloads
321 (#67,661)

6 months
123 (#39,258)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?