Cal State Fullerton Professor
Provides Insight Into Middle Eastern Cultures
May 14, 2004 :: No. 247
“Understanding the culture and being
able to speak Middle Eastern languages is critically needed today,”
said Alan Kaye, a professor of English, comparative literature and
linguistics at Cal State Fullerton. That’s why he
agreed to serve on a committee to select Fulbright scholars who
would participate in programs centered in the Middle East and North
Africa.
“With all the attention being focused on the
Middle East, Fulbright scholars are more important than ever,”
Kaye explained. “These individuals are dedicated to learning
about different places and experiencing different cultures. They
then share their knowledge with others. Through personal relationships,
we can better understand one another.”
Kaye, a Fullerton resident who has traveled extensively
through the Middle East, speaks Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian
and Urdu. He believes that many Americans, especially in light of
the military actions taking place in the Middle East, don’t
fully understand or appreciate Arabic cultures.
“There is a great deal of interest in learning
Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages,” he said. “That’s
good because language is so important when it comes to furthering
our knowledge of this area of the world.”
He believes that sending Fulbright scholars to these
regions is critical because it provides Americans with a different
point of view on the Middle East.
“Of course, we’re not going to send scholars
to areas that are deemed dangerous,” he explained. “However,
with a war going on in Iraq, most Americans have a very one-dimensional
view of the Middle East. For instance, most Arabs and Middle Easterners
are extremely friendly and hospitable. This sense of graciousness
and courtesy often doesn’t end up in our news reports. Many
of their customs and traditions are quite beautiful. And sometimes
we simply don’t understand why they may behave in the ways
that they do. Fulbright scholarships are a great investment of American
money because it demonstrates our country’s willingness to
help and learn more about others. It broadens our world view.”
One of Kaye’s faculty colleagues, American studies
professor Michael Steiner, currently is in Poland as a Fulbright
scholar teaching classes at Marie Curie Sklodowska University’s
Lublin Institute of English.
Kaye, himself, has lived in various parts of the world.
He served as a Fulbright scholar in Egypt in the 1960s and in Sri
Lanka in the 1970s. In 2000, he was invited to teach at King Saud
University in Saudi Arabia.
“Living in Saudi Arabia was quite interesting,”
he said. “For instance, education is free to all citizens,
however, the men and women attend school at different universities.
There is a high percentage of university-educated men and women.
However, particularly in the southern areas of Saudi Arabia, there
is a great deal of poverty, and this breeds fundamentalism. That’s
why I believe that Saudi Arabia is interested in having Americans
come and teach. There is a national interest in squelching this
kind of fanaticism. And that’s also why programs such as the
Fulbright, the Peace Corps and service programs are critical. They
demonstrate America’s commitment to helping others and trying
to understand different cultures and points of view.”
Currently, those who speak Arabic, as Kaye does, are
in demand from a number of government agencies.
“Thousands of Americans are now learning Arabic,”
he said. “That’s great. Understanding the language and
the culture will enable us to build better relationships with our
Middle Eastern neighbors and help cultivate a cultural awareness
of the tenets of Islam.”
Media Contacts: |
Alan Kaye at 657-278-3722
or akaye@fullerton.edu.
Valerie Orleans at 657-278-4540 or vorleans@fullerton.edu |
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