Disability in the Arab World
Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Monika Baar (Editor), Amany Soliman (Editor),
Series: Islam, Culture and Society
Category: Diversity and Equity Studies
Language: English
ISBN: 9789462704855
Publication date: December 1, 2025
€32.00 (including 6% VAT)
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Size: 234 x 156 x 15 mm
Number of illustrations: 35
Illustrations and other content description:
Illustrated b/w
Funded by: ERC
KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
Open Book Collective
Stock item: 169446
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Series: Islam, Culture and Society
Category: Diversity and Equity Studies
Language: English
ISBN: 9789461667014
Publication date: December 1, 2025
Download Free EpubNumber of pages: 290
Number of illustrations: 35
Illustrations and other content description:
Illustrated b/w
Funded by: ERC
KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
Open Book Collective
Series: Islam, Culture and Society
Category: Diversity and Equity Studies
Language: English
ISBN: 9789461667007
Publication date: December 1, 2025
Download Free PDFNumber of pages: 290
Number of illustrations: 35
Illustrations and other content description:
Illustrated b/w
Funded by: ERC
KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
Open Book Collective
Interdisciplinary insights on disability in the MENA region
According to the World Health Organization, around 16% of the world´s population lives with a disability, and it is estimated that approximately 80% of them reside in the Global South. Nevertheless, research on persons with disabilities is typically limited to the Global North. This interdisciplinary volume, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and development studies, addresses this discrepancy by providing new insights into disability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. While recognizing the significance of the medical approach, the authors seek to expand existing frameworks by including social, cultural and human rights perspectives. Engaging with both historical and contemporary contexts, Disability in the Arab World addresses issues such as the transmission and circulation of information in conventional and new media, and the colonial and postcolonial legacies affecting the study of disability.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Monika Baar
Chapter 1. Islamic Psychology: A Religious Perspective on Human Nature Based on the Theories of Ibn Sīnā and Al-Ġazālī
Bouchra Yahia
Chapter 2. A Sociological Understanding of Intralingual Translations of the Concept of Disability on Twitter in Egypt
Heba Fawzy El-Masry
Chapter 3. Into Arabic: UNCRPD’S Rights Discourse and the Politics of Interpretation
Riham Debian
Chapter 4. Exploring the Inclusivity of Disability Related Language in a Multilingual Research Context: A Case Study of the Algerian Context
Imene Zoulikha Kassous
Chapter 5. The Transformations of Policies for the Blind in Algeria and Tunisia in the Twentieth Century (1918–1987)
Gildas Brégain
Chapter 6. Disability, Humanitarian Diplomacy, and the Roman Catholic Church in Modern Palestine
Maria Chiara Rioli
Chapter 7. Challenges and Opportunities for the Implementation of CRPD in the MENA Region: Insights from Iraq and Qatar
Majid Turmusani
Conclusion: Pan-Arab Engagements with Disability from the 1980s until Recent Times
Amany Soliman and Monika Baar
About the Authors
Monika Baar
Monika Baar is professor in the History of East-Central and South-Eastern Europe at the European University Institute in Florence, where she holds a Joint Chair with the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.
Amany Soliman
Amany Soliman is associate professor of Modern and Contemporary History and the director of the Mediterranean Studies Institute at the faculty of Arts in Alexandria University Egypt.
Bouchra Yahia
Majid Turmusani
Maria Chiara Rioli
Gildas Bregain
Riham Debian
Heba Fawzy El-Masry
Imene Kassous
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Disability in the Arab World" about?
Interdisciplinary insights on disability in the MENA region
According to the World Health Organization, around 16% of the world´s population lives with a disability, and it is estimated that approximately 80% of them reside in the Global South. Nevertheless, research on persons with disabilities is typically limited to the Global North. This interdisciplinary volume, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and development studies, addresses this discrepancy by providing new insights into disability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. While recognizing the significance of the medical approach, the authors seek to expand existing frameworks by including social, cultural and human rights perspectives. Engaging with both historical and contemporary contexts, Disability in the Arab World addresses issues such as the transmission and circulation of information in conventional and new media, and the colonial and postcolonial legacies affecting the study of disability.
Who wrote "Disability in the Arab World"?
"Disability in the Arab World" was written by Bouchra Yahia, Majid Turmusani, Maria Chiara Rioli, Gildas Bregain, Riham Debian, Heba Fawzy El-Masry and Imene Kassous.
Who edited "Disability in the Arab World"?
"Disability in the Arab World" was edited by Monika Baar and Amany Soliman.
Monika Baar is professor in the History of East-Central and South-Eastern Europe at the European University Institute in Florence, where she holds a Joint Chair with the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.
Amany Soliman is associate professor of Modern and Contemporary History and the director of the Mediterranean Studies Institute at the faculty of Arts in Alexandria University Egypt.
Is "Disability in the Arab World" part of a series?
Yes, "Disability in the Arab World" is part of the "Islam, Culture and Society" series.
The peer-reviewed book series Islam, Culture, and Society provides a strong academic platform for national and international scholars engaged in research on Muslim societies from various perspectives and disciplines. The series promotes a multidisciplinary approach and welcomes contributions from all fields of the Humanities and Social Sciences, including theology, religious studies, history, law, philosophy, philology, literature, anthropology, sociology, social and cultural psychology, cultural studies, and the arts.
Topics of particular interest to the series include the interdisciplinary role of history, social behaviour, religious (and other) identities, local traditions, and cultural and legal systems, as well as diversity, inclusion, and tolerance in (re)shaping the plurality, changeability, diversity and global interconnectedness of Muslim cultures and societies.
All volumes in the series present cutting-edge scholarship and foster ongoing scholarly debates related to the historical and contemporary facets of Muslim societies. In doing so, Islam, Culture, and Society contributes to a more comprehensive, profound, and more nuanced understanding of the complexities of Muslim practices and perspectives in the social, cultural, psychological and religious spheres within a globalized world.
The series Islam, Culture, and Society is an initiative of the Leuven Centre for the Study of Islam, Culture, and Society (LCSICS).
The editors accept monographs and edited volumes covering a broad appeal of topics in a wide geographic range, including North Africa, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Muslim communities in the West.
The series welcomes contributions by established scholars as well as by promising young researchers, and embraces diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and ethnicity.
The main publication language of the series is English, although selective room is offered to titles in Dutch, French and Arabic. All books are written for an international audience of scholars. All manuscripts are subject to peer review.
Series editors
Chaïma Ahaddour (Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven)
Nadia Fadil (Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven)
Arjan Post (Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven)
Umar Ryad (Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven)
Editorial board
Ahmet Alibašić (University of Sarajevo)
Martijn de Koning (Radboud University – Nijmegen)
Mohammed Ghaly (University of Hamad Bin Khalifa – Doha)
Christian Lange (Utrecht University)
Jon Hoover (University of Nottingham)
Helge Daniëls (KU Leuven)
Advisory board
Albrecht Fuess (University of Marburg)
Agata S. Nalborczyk (University of Warsaw)
Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University)
John Brockopp (The Pennsylvania State University)
Annelies Moors (University of Amsterdam)
Pascal Buresi (French National Centre for Scientific Research – Paris)
Proposals
Proposals and enquiries can be sent to Umar Ryad.
Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.
Links & Resources
Is "Disability in the Arab World" available Open Access?
Yes, "Disability in the Arab World" is published Open Access. It is available under a BY-NC-ND license.
Who funded the publication of "Disability in the Arab World"?
Publication of "Disability in the Arab World" was funded by ERC
KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
Open Book Collective
.
What is the Table of Contents for "Disability in the Arab World"?
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Monika Baar
Chapter 1. Islamic Psychology: A Religious Perspective on Human Nature Based on the Theories of Ibn Sīnā and Al-Ġazālī
Bouchra Yahia
Chapter 2. A Sociological Understanding of Intralingual Translations of the Concept of Disability on Twitter in Egypt
Heba Fawzy El-Masry
Chapter 3. Into Arabic: UNCRPD’S Rights Discourse and the Politics of Interpretation
Riham Debian
Chapter 4. Exploring the Inclusivity of Disability Related Language in a Multilingual Research Context: A Case Study of the Algerian Context
Imene Zoulikha Kassous
Chapter 5. The Transformations of Policies for the Blind in Algeria and Tunisia in the Twentieth Century (1918–1987)
Gildas Brégain
Chapter 6. Disability, Humanitarian Diplomacy, and the Roman Catholic Church in Modern Palestine
Maria Chiara Rioli
Chapter 7. Challenges and Opportunities for the Implementation of CRPD in the MENA Region: Insights from Iraq and Qatar
Majid Turmusani
Conclusion: Pan-Arab Engagements with Disability from the 1980s until Recent Times
Amany Soliman and Monika Baar
About the Authors
What is the DOI for "Disability in the Arab World"?
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "Disability in the Arab World" is 10.11116/9789461667007.
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