Research: al-Ǧidd wa-l-hazl (earnest and jest) in 10th-Century Arabic Prose (provisional)
Curriculum Arabic, Iranian and Islamic Studies
ABSTRACT
The research explores the various forms of the binomial al-ǧidd wa-l-hazl (earnest and jest) in 10th-century Arabic prose, reinterpreting it as part of a broader rhetorical strategy that involves emotional, social, and cultural dimensions. The study combines textual analysis with an anthropological perspective to outline the functions and meanings of this device: from managing emotions and boredom to caring for the reader’s well-being, from the ethical value of balance to the role of wit in defining the ẓarīf (the “refined,” “man of the world” in medieval Arab-Islamic society), and finally to the use of the serious-facetious in the dynamics of šuʿūbiyya.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Premodern Arabic prose; adab literature; Abbasid period
CURRICULUM VITAE
23/09/2024–26/09/2024: Attendance of the Training Course for Arabic L2 Teachers
Certified by King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, Riyadh
At: Department of the Italian Institute for Oriental Studies, University of Rome "La Sapienza"
10/2023: Master’s Degree in Languages and Civilizations of Asia and the Mediterranean Africa, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Curriculum: Near and Middle East. Grade: 110/110 cum laude. Thesis title: Orality and Intertextuality in the Collection of Short Stories Ḥikāyāt li-l-amīr ḥattā yanām by Yaḥyā al-Ṭāhir ‘Abd Allāh
09/2021–12/2021: Attendance of intensive courses in Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
At: Ahlan Luxor Foundation and School, Luxor, Egypt
07/2019: Bachelor’s Degree in European, Euro-American, and Oriental Languages and Cultures, University of Catania.
Languages: English, Spanish, Arabic. Grade: 110/110 cum laude. Thesis title: Arab-Sicilian and Andalusian Hydronymy: The Case of Wādī.