REFLECTION ON CALLIGRAPHY ii

As an auto-ethnographic study, “Calligraphy: A Vehicle to Self-Reflection ” was designed to explore the art of Arabic calligraphy and its possibilities. The driving question of this research was: How can understanding calligraphy art, the creative process, and its evolution be transferred by an artist-teacher promoting inspiration to regain self-identity and humanity for young minds? The researcher became the student through studying the history, understanding the theory, and practicing the craft. Traditional work and techniques were investigated as well as modern work. Throughout the study, memos, reflections, and journals were maintained along with photos and videos and each oeuvre created was followed by an artist statement. These sources were analyzed and recommendations made for their use to promote a reflection of belonging, regaining self-confidence, and promoting acceptance of who they are amongst the lost youth of Algeria and other third world countries. Therefore, promoting local craft extracted directly from the milieu was found to be an excellent method to foster the desired self-reflection that would encourage the strengthening of identity, culture, and belonging; furthermore stop the imitation of others and build self-confidence