Jadaliyya turns four this September (totally behind on the announcement). As we promised this time last year, we were going to have a busy year, but we were somewhat wrong. It was actually pretty insane.
Internally, we were consumed by building new pages and teams, finalizing an institutionalization process that is now firmly in place, and expanding our networks considerably in the Middle East and beyond. We are happy to report that not only has our readership expanded dramatically, mostly in the region—the principal object of our analysis and reporting—but it has also become one of our main avenues for sharing Jadaliyya content. Our readers and our team are literally our biggest assets. Equally important in terms of impact, beyond growth and numbers, is the near-unique achievement of seeing Jadaliyya materials adorn an inumerable number of classroom syllabi, virtually on any topic. Very little is more satisfying for a publication like ours.
The truth is, we are just getting warmed up.
Perhaps even more consequential in terms of the urgency of our work is the escalation of violence in the region, with further twists and turns in the context of ongoing or rekindled uprisings, and, markedly, the war on Gaza that galvanized the world’s attention. More recently, it was ISIS mania, or hysteria, that has received more than its worth of media attention. Among other “spikes” in both violence, intrigue, and incalculable media interpretations that we sift through to produce some sense, we, and we imagine similar publications, had more than enough on our plate with which to contend. Such busy years may be "good" for publications, but we need to be continuously reminded of the human toll that has been incurred. If we, or publications like ours, do not rise up to contribute to some form of progress by, among other things, confronting power and/or debunking narratives that legitimize various forms of exploitation, we probably should fold.
But there is also another dimension to our work that merits attention, or more attention. Some of the critiques of our work that focus exclusively on our handling our current events end up bypassing one of the more important raison d'etre of this publication.
Despite the increasingly urgent current events that require our critical attention, we continue to publish exciting work about various topics and time periods across our more than eighteen county/thems pages, which distinguishes Jadaliyya among its peers. Our NEWTON and interviews sections, reflective and historical pieces, and the robust cultural and literary content we publish in English, Arabic, and other languages makes Jadaliyya relevant irrespective of changes in the current political realities. In fact, as per above, this has always been the intent of the co-founders of this publication. But, alas, or not (?), the Arab uprisings whisked so much of our immediate energy away. We will therefore renew our efforts to return to a more balanced coverage that affords even more space for matters that do not involve the current moment.
In the past, we went to great lengths to discuss Jadaliyya’s history and trajectory. Somehow, this is no longer necessary or desirable. See our third-year milestone announcement below,** which we can safely say was a transformational moment. Henceforth, we have been harnessing, nurturing, and protecting our trajectory, as discussed below. It is a mixed blessing because the magic of the early days must go away, and must be survived by any successful project for it to soar beyond that initial euphoria. We have done this before with the Arab Studies Journal which launched in 1992. Thrilled to do it again.
Jad Turns One: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2701/jadaliyya-turns-one
Jad Turns Two: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/7473/jadaliyya-celebrates-its-two-year-anniversary
** Jad Turns Three: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/14374/jadaliyya-turns-three_a-journeys-recap
In fact, the entire passing of the fourth year constituted a benchmark that elucidated mixed emotions: the feeling of being established, stable, and growing is both good news and bad news. It is good news because this is the goal of any comparable organization that seeks to remain relevant and effective. It is bad news because with the passing of the most basic building stages comes the loss of some of the magic of “struggle,” the feeling of starting something new, however non-dramatic all this is to outsiders.
But herein lies the difference between one-hit-wonders and long-term projects: surviving the euphoria and sheer excitement of newness, both of which apply to any new venture, including personal ones. We certainly hope to keep going with evermore vigor and originality. Not only do we, at the Arab Studies Institute (ASI), have twenty-two years of experience with building organizations that both survive and thrive, but also the very institutional structure, networks, and solidarity behind Jadaliyya’s early journey have become more dynamic and supple. We are here for the long haul, despite empire, dictators, drones, and douchebags. (اجل. كتبناها)
Where To?
In the past year, we promised we will develop our content and pages, institutionalize our relations with our sister organizations at ASI (Arab Studies Journal, Tadween, Quilting Point, FAMA), venture further into producing pedagogical publications, and work with our colleagues at ASI to develop the mammoth Knowledge Production Project. We are pleased to announce that we accomplished all these goals and more. A cursory review of the material we have published/produced or the websites in which they live tells a more complete story. We have published several JadMag issues, ranging from Gezi to Gaza, and from Theorizing the Arabian Peninsula to addressing the Algerian revolution.
As you can see below, we tried as much as possible to price our publications at near-cost. One way our readers can support Jadaliyya and its sister organization Tadween Publishing is by picking up a copy. Better yet, if you are an educator, we have been issuing serious discounts for entire classes. Pedagogically, these publications have proved exremely student-friendly and teacher-friendly.
We have also ventured into marginalized issues, including the Western Sahara. All JadMag issues come with both a set of detailed and somewhat exhaustive scholarly resources, as well as a list of important social media links. Educators get their copies for free if they sign up to our Tadween Educators Network, and receive a “Teaching Guide" to accompany each JadMag. To take a peek at the guide, click here. All the above can be found on http://www.JadMag.org