Arabization in the Context of Identity in a Globally-Immersed Culture: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

This paper attempts to view the concept of Arabization -an issue gaining a higher consideration by educational policy makers in the Arab world- from a sociolinguistic perspective. A mixed method approach is adopted to investigate the pros and cons of Arabization. The study derives its conclusion based on previous studies on the one hand, and the evaluation of the common trends towards monolingualism in the Arab educational platforms on the other, observing the eminent sociocultural threats of globalization. While Brown’s theory of the inseparable connection between language and culture is used to prove the impossibility of calling for a lingual homogeneity in the presence of a globalized culture, Berry J.W.’s Acculturation theory is adopted to examine the nature of the cultural influence on the Arabs’ identity, and how can Arabs, though, ‘successfully’ live in a multicultural surrounding. It is not the aim of the research to relegate the role of Arabization in facilitating the teaching and learning processes in the various fields and educational levels; rather, it aims to draw the educational policy makers’ attention to protect the Arabs’ identity, not through carrying out linguistic policies alone, but by taking other decisions pertaining to the educational, cultural and social environment, as well. Some of the proposed measures include: reviewing syllabuses, enriching social and moral values, accelerating the scientific and technical translation activity, encouraging fair competition in varieties of scientific and literary activities where cultural diversity is wisely handled; and finally, providing free acculturation platforms as an attractive alternative to the social media platforms.