Writing sociology in the Arab world: knowledge production through Idafat, The Arab Journal of Sociology

Abstract

This article analyses the 18 issues of Idafat, The Arab Journal of Sociology, published from 2008 to 2012, including some specific variables (submission data, author nationality, article keywords, use of references). While all published materials are analysed, only 120 articles written by Arab authors are scrutinized. The objective is to unfold the way Arab sociologists produce knowledge in sociology. A special focus will be placed on the language of citations and references. This article argues that some institutional settings in addition to the economy of knowledge production make the balanced use of references in Arabic and foreign languages difficult. What are the resources upon which they rely? To answer to this question, the article presents the results of an online 27-question survey about the use of references by researchers who hold a master's or a PhD degree from any university in the Arab world or who have dealt with a topic related to the Arab world.