The Image of Arab Culture in World Literature in American Anthologies

In 1987 E.D. Hirsh published works on cultural literacy, developing a list that sums up knowledge that every American needs to know. At the time of its publication, his work encountered both applause and criticism. Yet, the only common ground that both groups could agree upon was domination of literary cannon by white dead men. Now, in our 21st century American society, we are once again faced with a divided society where conservatives and liberals seem to find no common ground. Hirsch argued that an understanding of cultural literacy could be a source of commonality among all Americans, but as we look toward an American society that is no longer dominated by a white majority, we are faced with a new question, as the demographics of the American people are rapidly shifting in a way where the minorities outgrow the while population. It is imperative that we, through the teaching and learning of literature, build a bridge that fosters cross cultural understanding among these seemingly disparate groups that make up American society. So how do we do this? In part it will require a rethinking of how we select texts and which texts are added to the traditional high school and college canon. The key factor in text selection is the necessity to discontinue ideologies that maintain white supremacy, and represent the diverse wealth of perspectives present in American society. For this project, I examine the image of Arab culture in narratives that inhabit our curricula through a close reading of existing texts that perpetuate the orientalist project and, thereby, offer stories that oppose and challenge these narratives