Bassam Frangieh

Bassam Frangieh (Arabic: بسام فرنجيه) is a scholar of contemporary Arabic literature and culture. He is best known for his pedagogical innovations in the study of the Arabic language, as well as his translations of modern Arabic poets and novelists. Frangieh also lectures on the society and culture of the Arab world. A language professor as well as a scholar and writer, Frangieh has achieved moderate fame in the American academic world of Middle Eastern Studies for his engaging educational methods.

Education and career

Frangieh was born in a refugee camp in Lebanon in 1949.[1] His family, Palestinians who had owned an orange grove in Yaffa, had been relocated there due to the conflicts associated with the creation of the state of Israel. His family is distantly related to the famous Frangieh family of Lebanon, including former Lebanese president Suleiman Frangieh, but the Palestinian Frangieh family tree diverged from the Lebanese family tree several generations ago. Frangieh eventually moved to Syria to attend university, earning a B.A. from Damascus University in 1976. While in Syria, he earned fame as a boxing champion and professional soccer player. Frangieh attended graduate school in the United States, and received a Ph.D. in Arabic literature from Georgetown University in 1987. After receiving his doctorate, Frangieh taught Arabic at Georgetown for several years before accepting a position at Yale University. After his resignation from Yale in 2007, Frangieh joined Claremont McKenna College as a full-time Arabic professor and the head of the Arabic Department for the five Claremont Colleges while writing and researching new Arabic books. He is the head of the Middle East Studies Department.

Controversies

In April 2010, a campus publication at the Claremont Colleges published statements Frangieh had made or signed onto supporting controversial organizations in Lebanon and Palestine.[2]

  • During the 2006 Lebanon War, Frangieh signed a petition in support of "Lebanese resistance" organization Hezbollah. The petition referred to the Hezbollah cross-border raid that resulted in the capture and death of 3 Israeli soldiers as a "heroic operation." The petition also urged "Arab intellectuals to stand beside the Lebanese Resistance" and to boycott the "Zionist killing machine." [3]
  • In 2007, Frangieh signed a petition calling a Senate resolution to divide Iraq a "Zionist plot," led by "Zionist masters" who work with "Cowboys" and "flee their countries in search of riches," thereby purposefully undermining a "strong Iraq" and dragging it into a "barbaric war." [4][2]
  • Several of Frangieh's textbooks celebrated Palestinian martyrdom. They appeared in textbooks used in middle schools in Palestine and Saudi Arabia.[5]

In the ensuing aftermath, Claremont McKenna Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications Richard Rodner was accused of attempting to cover up Frangieh's past statements.[6] Past statements Frangieh made were briefly deleted from his Wikipedia page by a user under the name "RRODNER." [6] The faculty at Frangieh's college decided to vote on whether to censure Frangieh for his past statements. Ultimately, Claremont McKenna College Faculty voted against censuring Frangieh.[7]

Bibliography

Frangieh is a prolific author in both Arabic and English on contemporary Arabic literature. This is a list of some of his most prominent books and articles.

Textbooks
  • Arabic For Life: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic (2011)
  • Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought (2005)

Translations
  • The Crane (forthcoming), from Ṭā'ir al-Ḥawm by Ḥalīm Barakāt
  • Sun On A Cloudy Day (1997), from al-Shams fī Yawm Ghā'im by Ḥanna Mīna
  • Arabian Love Poems (1993), selected poems by Nizār Qabbānī

Scholarly works
  • al-Ightirāb fī al-Riwāyah al-Filisṭīnīyah (forthcoming)
  • Bahjat al-Iktishāf (2003)

Articles
  • Qassim Haddad: Irregular Rhythms of Life in Kalimat
  • Modern Arabic Poetry: Vision and Reality in Traditions, Modernity and Postmodernity in Arabic Literature
  • The Concept of Return in Issa Boullat's novel: Returning to Jerusalem in Dirāsāt `Arabīyah
  • Mahmoud Belaid: Ru'yah Tastashref Al Mustaqbal in Journal of the Arab Tunisian Union Writers

References
  1. Toomajian, Martin (22 April 2003). "Frangieh focuses on views of 'Arab street'". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  2. Johnson, Charles (6 December 2010). "Professor Bassam Frangieh Views Terrorist Group "With Great Pleasure"". claremontconservative.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011.
  3. "Many intellectuals are backing Hizballah against the Lebanese government". Engage.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  4. "ليس باسمنا". Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  5. Mauro, Ryan (12 January 2011). "Classroom Jihad".
  6. Johnson, Charles (13 December 2010). "Richard Rodner, Claremont McKenna's Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communication, Manipulates Bassam Frangieh Wikipedia Page". Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  7. Johnson, Charles (21 February 2011). "Instead of censuring Bassam Frangieh for his support of terrorist organizations, the college administrators regard him as a major asset". Middle East Forum Campus-Watch. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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