The Queer Arab Glossary

Edited by Kaabour, Marwan
Short description/annotation:
A groundbreaking survey of the language used around queerness in the Arab world, with contributions by leading Arab queer writers, thinkers and activists
Description:
The Queer Arab Glossary is a first-of-its-kind survey of the linguistic landscape surrounding queerness in the Arab world. It brings together more than 300 words and terms used to refer to queer people across the spoken Arabic dialects, ranging from the humorous to the harrowing, serious to tongue-in-cheek, pejorative to endearing. Featuring anecdotes and fascinating historical facts, the bilingual glossary paints a linguistic picture of how queer bodies are perceived within the Arab region. It includes insightful essays by eight leading Arab queer artists, academics, activists and writers, which situate the glossary in a modern social and political context. With beautiful, witty illustrations by Haitham Haddad, The Queer Arab Glossary is a powerful response to myths about queer people in the Arab world. It is proof that the LGBTQI+ Arab community is alive and thriving, despite the challenges.
Review quote:

''The Queer Arab Glossary is, first and foremost, an act of presence. In a world that often paints Arab societies with a broad brush of conservatism, this book insists that queerness has always existed, painfully and joyfully, in Arabic-speaking worlds …''

Biographical note:
Marwan Kaabour is an independent graphic designer and visual artist from Beirut, currently living and working in London. His work with institutions, brands and individuals in the art and cultural sector ranges from creating visual identities, publication and exhibition design, to marketing campaigns, wayfinding systems and art direction for both print and online projects. In 2019, he launched Takweer, a platform that explores queer narratives in Arab history and popular culture.Marwan moved to London in 2011 to pursue a master''s degree in Graphic Design from the London College of Communication, then joined Barnbrook – one of the UK’s most formidable and celebrated design agencies – as Designer and later Senior Designer. He founded his own studio in 2020.
Endorsement:
''A little masterpiece''
Endorsement:
‘A dissenting homage to the sexiness and seriousness of queer Arab life.’
Endorsement:
‘Playful, illuminating, and full of heart, The Queer Arab Glossary is a treasure chest that puts on record a vital part of our queer history. An invaluable time capsule of who and how we are.’
Endorsement:
''Language reflects and creates reality and Marwan Kaabour’s revolutionary volume insists on and makes possible a future rooted in the recognition of continuous histories.''
Endorsement:
''The Queer Arab Glossary'' really is a work of beauty - insightful, hilarious, sassy and deeply expansive - I''ve already learnt so much about LGBTQIA+ culture far beyond the narrow confines our incredible community are taught to exist within.''
Feature:
“Nation states are the result of political movements like revolutions, colonisations, and war,” Kaabour explains. “Language, like queerness, is a fluid notion that grows irrespective of political borders.” Kaabour views The Queer Arab Glossary as the first fully realised project to come out of Takweer, and is building plans to re-envision how audiences can understand the Arabic-speaking region’s own version of queerness. “With the book specifically, I hope that we can take back ownership of our queer lingo, reappropriate derogatory words, and start using it more widely in the face of western words that have for too long been the norm within our communities,” he reflects. https://www.gaytimes.com/culture/language-beyond-borders-the-expanding-horizons-of-queer-arabic/