Intellectual Project of Emad Abdullatif

Professor Abdul-Latif contributed in developing the modern Arabic scholarship in the field of Rhetoric through the following:

First, Abdul-Latif attempted (attempting to) to write a new history of Arabic Rhetoric through the following procedures: (1) studying neglected topics such as the Platonic influence on Arabic Rhetoric; (2) introducing non-Arabic rhetorical legacies, other than Greek rhetoric, to Arab readers such as rhetoric of the ancient Egyptians, and the Chinese and Indian rhetorics; (3) investigating the social and political factors that influenced the attempt of renewing the Arabic Rhetoric in the twentieth century, especially in Egypt.

Second, Abdul-Latif introduced (introducing) Western achievements in the field of rhetoric to Arab readers. He undertook critical reviews to the Western legacy of rhetoric in the recent decades. In addition, Abdul-Latif was directly responsible for supervising the project of translating the most important Western work in rhetoric into Arabic, namely Encyclopedia of Rhetoric (Oxford University Press). The Arabic translation was published in three volumes (2400 pages).

Third, Exploring the practical aspects of Rhetoric, which represents a turning point in the new rhetorical research in the Arab context. In his book “Limāthā Yuṣaffiq al-Miṣriyyūn?” (Why do Egyptians Applaud?), Abdul-Latif aimed at decreasing the negative effects of rhetorical manipulation in social and political contexts in modern Egypt. The adopted procedure for doing this was discovering the subtle rhetorical traps in the political discourses that unfairly influence audience’s responses. The search for a “practical rhetoric” continued in Abdul-Latif’s works. In “al-Balāgha wa al-Tawāṣul ʿAbr al-Thaqāfāt” (Rhetoric and Cross-cultural Communication), he provided suggestions for successful communication process between Arabs and Westerners. Abdul-Latif’s other books aimed at providing a proper understanding of the political rhetoric in the modern Arab world.     

Fourth, Changing the focal point of Arab rhetorical research from the corpus of literature (poetry and artistic prose) to what could be a corpus of life. He paid a great attention to neglected rhetorical genres such as speeches, statements, and newspapers articles. He also examined other genres belonging to the discourse of daily life such as talk shows, banners, slogans, and graffiti. Moreover, Abdul-Latif studied significant non-verbal responses such as applause and chants. It is hoped that this type of research, which concentrates on the discourse of daily life, will lead to changing the paradigm of modern rhetorical research in Arab context.

Finally, Abdul-Latif’s project for renewing Arabic rhetoric aims at making strong connections between Rhetoric and society by emphasizing the importance of Rhetoric’s functions in the life of society. What is meant by ‘rhetorical functions’, in this context, is the role of rhetoric in developing speakers’ ability to produce persuasive discourses that are devoid of manipulation, discrimination, and hegemony. ‘Rhetorical functions’ also include helping audience in generating effective rhetorical responses by fostering a critical awareness of rhetorical deception mechanisms. Besides, ‘rhetorical functions’ refer to the role of rhetoric in enhancing the interpretive ability of addressees. For 25 years now, Abdul-Latif has been disseminating rhetorical knowledge through different types of media, in easy and understandable language.