Arab, French researchers underpin the importance of fostering dialogue between the East and West

Dialogue between East and West is a crucial factor in forging the rapprochement of cultures and mutual understanding among disparate peoples. This dynamic reflects historical, cultural, and intellectual dimensions that have evolved over centuries, continuing to influence relationships between diverse cultures.
The primary objective remains the bridging of divides between the parties engaged in dialogue, bolstering peaceful coexistence and a more profound understanding of one another.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Arab and French researchers and intellectuals affirmed that dialogue between the Arab world and the West has been persistent throughout history and undergone numerous stages but has recently declined due to various factors.
They highlighted that the stature of Arab thought and the contributions it made to humanitarian civilisation throughout history have been abundantly clear to all actors and intellectuals worldwide, as this thought has been rich, diverse, and profound, albeit not entirely discovered in Europe and the world.
Anthropologist and Assistant Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University in the US, Fadi Bardawil, stated that the dialogue between Arab and Western thought has been inveterate since the Renaissance in the 19th century, during which both written and oral exchanges existed between these intellectual traditions. He emphasised that translation has been a crucial mechanism in augmenting this dialogue, as it enables the transfer of ideas between these two disparate cultural realms.
Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the Department of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London, Professor Gilbert Achcar, highlighted that Arab cultural spaces exist but differ in their relationship with the West, as per variations in the colonial powers that dominated these spaces, underlining that intellectual relationships lay bare the structure of international hegemony, which is dubbed cultural imperialism — a cultural reflection of Western hegemony — thereby restricting the potential for building a real dialogue between both parties.
President of the Arab World Institute in Paris, Jack Lang, stated that Arab thought is diverse with crucial historical contributions, though its presence is limited on the global stage, highlighting that dialogue between Arab and Western thought is deep-rooted throughout history and is not virtually improvised. He indicated that Arab thought is a fundamental component in the creation of epochal Arab thought.
Thinker, anthropologist, professor at Mohammed VI University in Rabat, and visiting professor at various American, European, and Arab universities, Hassan Rachiq, said that dialogue between Arab and Western thought is forged through diverse intellectual frameworks, each one reflecting its culture and particularities.
Rachiq added that this dialogue varies in certain fields, such as philosophy and anthropology, highlighting that his book Near and Distant: A Century of Anthropology in Morocco tackled colonial anthropology. He affirmed that, as an anthropologist, he might find himself in greater intellectual alignment with a Western thinker at times than with an Arab thinker, and vice versa.
He believes that the differences and intersections between the two intellectual traditions shift depending on the context and the values being defended, emphasising that it is most crucial for Arab thought to be critical, multifaceted, and uphold the value of the individual.
Researcher in cultural and social history and director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Beirut, Khaled Ziade, affirmed that Arab thought in the 19th century was widely open to Western thought and liberalism and was impacted by national currents that emerged in Europe, with European intellectual influence remarkably declining in the current time due to many factors.
Arab thought today is in desperate need of laying out its questions with answers that best suit its particularities, instead of invoking ready Western answers, he noted, emphasising that each thought has its own particularities and unique dimensions reflecting its cultural and social reality.
Yemeni writer and thinker, Habib Abdulrab Sarori, told QNA that the challenge of knowing the other enhances thinking, dialogue, and ensures the convergence of thoughts, thereby enabling Arab individuals to understand themselves very well in terms of culture and intellectuality.
He highlighted that Arab societies suffer from cognitive and intellectual isolation, where Arab thinkers and intellectuals still revolve around themselves without delving deep into Western thought in its true sense. Emphasising his belief in the significance of profound dialogue between Arab and Western ideologies, he established a cultural society with the objective of introducing Arab grandiose intellectuals, particularly Abu Al-Ala Al-Ma’arri, who is a cultural reference both in Arab civilisation and human civilisation as a whole.
Director of the Institute of Feminist Studies and consultant on women’s and gender issues for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Dr Islah Jadd, said Western thought, which was overshadowing Arab thought, exposed its bankruptcy and the duality of its discourse. She emphasised that this is demonstrated in the way Western intellectuals engage in issues such as Palestine and Ukraine, along with the genocidal war in Gaza.
Dialogue between Arab and Western thought is still constant but is in a state of flux with the emergence of new elites on the streets who stood by the Palestinian cause and Arab struggles against colonisation, occupation, and despotism, as well as other humanitarian issues, highlighted Jadd.
Poet and Director-General of the Arab World Institute in Paris, Shawqi Abdulamir, noted the real absence of dialogue between Arab and Western thought, stressing that Western thought currently dominates Arab culture. He stated that when Arab people look for a philosophical reference for an epochal issue, they directly invoke the philosophies of Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, without considering Arab philosophers.
The reason behind the current retrogression of Arab thought is neglecting the teachings of Arab philosophy among younger generations and disruption, thereby restricting their abilities to engage in conversation with Western thought, Abdulamir underlined.
Director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Paris, Dr Salam al-Kawakibi, stated that the significant challenge facing Arab thought today is to eliminate orientalism in its negative connotation, which is linked to the colonial past that carries the superiority over Arab intellectual traditions. He stressed that the formidable challenge facing contemporary Arab thought is to break this barrier, along with the Western disregard for this thought.
Direct dialogue between Arab and Western intellectual traditions fosters the exchange and cross-pollination of ideas, contributing to the evolution of human thought and deepening mutual understanding, he underlined.