The politics of Arabic script
Journal: ANU Open Research (Australian National University)
Year: 2016

This thesis explores the politics of Arabic script. Across multiple time periods and geographies, I open up the ways in which the Arabic alphabet has been politicised and strategically deployed in cultural debates. Focussing on the cultural dimensions of Arabic - the idea and visual form of script - I investigate how persistent, historical discourses have come to shape the way Arabic has been understood and used to effect complex political outcomes for individuals, communities, and nations. I si