Emirati professor among winners of Zayed Book Award

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) announced the winners and Cultural Personality of the Year for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA).

Dr. Said Laouadi from Morocco received the SZBA in the Literary and Art Criticism category for his book ‘Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage’ published in 2023 by Afrique Orient.

His work offers a critique of the complex relation between rhetoric and food in Arab heritage, analysing literary texts from poetry to proverbs and stories from a broad cultural perspective. With its in-depth analysis and broad scope, his research enriches rhetorical studies with new, unconventional approaches.

Meanwhile, the Contribution to the Development of Nations category saw Emirati Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari win for his book ‘The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women’s Rights’, issued in 2024 by Nahdet Misr Publishing.

The book provides a jurisprudential and foundational study of the concept of “striving and effort” in Islam, highlighting its ability to adapt to modern social developments. It reinforces involving women as equal partners in society, in a straightforward academic approach backed by credible sources, which makes it a notable addition to Arab and international libraries.

UK researcher Andrew Peacock won in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for his book ‘Arabic Literary Culture in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, published by Brill in 2024.

The book offers a scientific study shedding light on the spread of Arabic language and culture in southeast Asia, and its relation to Sufi philosophy and the official discourses of rulers in that region.

It opens up new areas of research into the impact of Arab culture beyond its traditional context, making it an invaluable source for researchers in this field.

In the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category, the SZBA went to Rasheed Alkhayoun from Iraq/UK for his critical edition of the book ‘News of Women’, published by the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in 2024.

The book is a rare resource on the subject, featuring advanced scientific research where the editor exhibited a deep understanding of the text and its historicity. The book provides a valuable contribution to literary and historical studies, and is considered one of the first global collections of women’s works.