Global InformationMagdi Youssef information
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Magdi Youssef (born 22 July 1936 ) is an Egyptian professor of comparative literature and culture studies. He has taught at various universities in Europe and Egypt until his retirement.[1] Al-Ahram (according to the Middle East Institute the equivalent of the New York Times in the Arab World) called Youssef “the renowned culture critic.”[2] He is widely noted in the Arab world for his analytic interventions that focus on cultural alienation and unequal exchange in the sphere of culture.[3] His book Critical Battles received wide attention.[4] Youssef has contributed to the proceedings of comparative literature congresses in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the US., and to such journals as Al-Hilal, the International Journal of Middle East Studies (Cambridge Univ. Press) and Theatre Research International (Oxford Univ. Press). He is also the founding president of the International Association of Intercultural Studies (IAIS) and still actively involved in theoretical debates related to intercultural relations and comparative literature.[5]
Youssef is a member of the Association pour l'avancement des études islamiques, Collège de France (Paris).[6] He is also listed as a member of the International Sociological Association (ISA), L'Association Internationale des Sociologues de Langue Francaise, the International Brecht Society, based in the US, the Egyptian Association of Plastic Art Critics and the International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA).[7] Magdi Youssef adheres to the Egyptian writers' union and the German Schriftstellerverband.[8]
Outside academe, Youssef was widely noted as a critic of contemporary developments and a culture critic by such daily newspapers and weeklies as The Irish Times, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al Qahira, Al-Ahram Daily, Al-Ahram Hebdo, Al-Ahram Weekly, as well as other media in the Arab World, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, and the US.[9]
- ^ Cf. Franca Sinopoli’s editorial note in her book “European Literature, seen by others” which mentions: “Magdi Youssef insegna Letteratura comparata all’ Università de Il Cairo (Egitto)” (Franca Sinopoli (ed.), La letteratura europea vista dagli altri, Roma (Meltemi) 2003, p.67).
- ^ Mahmoud El-Wardani, “At A Glance” (book reviews), in: al Ahram Weekly, Issue No.538, June 14–20, 2001, culture page. - Also accessible in the online edition.
- ^ Mahmoud El-Wardani, “At A Glance”, ibidem.
- ^ In the Al Ahram Weekly article “Battle of the mind,” Assem El-Dessouqi writes that “real problems begin when a writer automatically discards criticism on the grounds that the critic is merely out to slander him, instead of offering corrections or enhancing readers' knowledge of the subject at hand. […] What a relief, then, to come across Magdi Youssef, a writer who knows that the true value of criticism lies in its capacity to promote original thought and to raise literacy standards. Moreover, having an extensive sociological background and, thus, a thorough familiarity with the jargon, Youssef is alert to misappropriations of sociological terms. As a result, in his new book Critical Battles, Youssef is well placed to address many of criticism's central concerns.” (Assem El-Dessouqi, “Battles of the mind,” in: Al Ahram Weekly, Issue 630, 20–26 March 20–26, 2003. Culture page. – Also online. "Al-Ahram Weekly | Books Supplement | Battles of the mind". Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2013-12-30.)
- ^ Cf. N.N., "No one listened / Science, independence and grassroots art: a German-based Egyptian scholar offers critical insight into the Arab presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair" in: Al Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 707, Sept. 9-15, 2004 (Culture page); see also: Mme. Sosostris, “Pack of Cards,” in: Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No.511, 7–13 December 2000, culture page.
- ^ See for instance his “Intervention sur la méthodologie de la recherche,” in: Discours, écriture et société dans le Monde Islamique Contemporain, Actes du Colloque de l’Association pour l’Avancement des Études Islamiques, Collège de France, Paris, 1982, pp.70-71, that he contributed as an active member of the association.
- ^ See the Egyptian Who is Who, the Who is Who in the Middle East, and the International Who is Who in Asian Studies (H.K.).
- ^ See the biographical note in: Intercultural Studies http://www.intercultural-studies.org/biography/biography.shtml.
- ^ The Irish Times mentioned Youssef, for instance, as the leading figure of the writers and artists who protested in 1991 against the impending Gulf War. The Irish Times gave the following list: “Professor Dr Magdi Youssef (Egyptian writer on sabbatical in Dublin), Gabriel Rosenstock (writer), Nuala Ní Dhomnaill (poet), Hugh Maxton (poet), Brendan Kennelly (poet), Robert Ballag (artist), Jennifer Johnston (writer), Kader Asmal (lecturer), Aodh O'Chanain (writer in Irish).” See: “Open Letter to Mr. Bush: No to War / An appeal by writers and artists as the UN deadline looms,” in: The Irish Times, Jan. 15, 1991, p.5. – The reference, in the open letter, to the Arab philosopher and poet Abul-Alaa who, by relying on reason, convinced a commander-in-chief not to destroy his native place called “al-Maara,” suggests that Youssef took the initiative of writing this open letter and asking other writers and artists to join in signing it. The play "Draussen vor der Tür" (Outside the Door" mentioned in the petition, that was written by the German author Wolfgang Borchert in the aftermath of World War 2, and became an icon of anti-war literature, had been translated from German into Arabic by Youssef when he was in his early twenties and performed since by youth companies in four Arab countries, among which the Lebanon in 1994 while being projected on the Lebanese civil war of the time.