The Arabic Book from the Perspective of Modernity

Abstract

This article examines the Arabic book through the lens of modernity, treating modernity not merely as a chronological or formal concept, but as an intellectual, aesthetic, and epistemological framework that reshapes the relationship between books, culture, reading, and knowledge production. The author first situates modernity within its European philosophical, literary, and artistic contexts, then investigates its implications for the Arab cultural sphere, particularly in authorship, publishing, and book production. The article discusses the challenges facing the Arabic book between the authority of heritage and the demands of contemporaneity, and between the aesthetics of the printed book and the transformations brought about by digital media. It argues that modernization cannot be achieved through the superficial importation of forms or the imitation of Western models, but requires a critical awareness capable of producing renewed knowledge from within Arab cultural specificity. The article also emphasizes the visual and artistic dimensions of bookmaking and the role of cultural institutions in enabling the Arabic book to remain a meaningful, competitive, and creative medium in the age of digital communication.