“Nahḍa”: Mapping a Keyword in Cultural Discourse

Abstract

Not only are the origins and boundaries of the Arab Nahḍa disputed, the word “nahḍa” itself has taken diverse paths. Generally glossed as “renaissance” or “awakening,” it was defined in 1870 simply as “energy, strength, movement.” Examining appearances of the word in the literary press from 1850-1914, this article argues that while expanding beyond its classical definition during those decades, the term did not attain all the connotations it is typically given today. The word “nahḍa” was used to connect phenomena across a wide political and geographical spectrum, challenging the limitations now typically assigned to the Arab Nahḍa.