The Impact of Al-Muqtataf Magazine on Establishing Modern Arab Consciousness (1876-1952): An Analytical Historical Study

Abstract

This research examines the impact of Al-Muqtataf magazine on consolidating awareness and shaping modern Arab public opinion.                                                                                                               , during its period of publication (1876-1952 AD), as it is considered one of the most important cultural and scientific platforms witnessed by the modern Arab awakening, as it was part of it and became a representative of it, as the magazine was launched from an intellectual project that goes beyond (news and education), to perform a deeper function represented by (reconstructing modern Arab awareness), and directing it towards the concepts of science, rationality, and reform, within a cultural space in which the dialectic of (heritage and modernization) escalated. This research employs a historical-analytical approach to examine the role of Al-Muqtataf magazine as an intellectual force that significantly contributed to shaping modern Arab consciousness and public opinion. This is achieved through an analysis of its content, the structure of its discourse, and its position among its Arab counterparts published in the late Ottoman period and the early twentieth century. The research also seeks to understand how the magazine succeeded in building a readership and interacting with it, and expanding the circle of public debate on various issues, especially in the section (debate and correspondence), while being very careful not to take direct political sides. The results of the research revealed that Al-Muqtataf magazine was not a medium for transmitting knowledge, but rather an open space for shaping a modern, rational public opinion that kept pace with the major social and political transformations witnessed in the Arab East. In addition, its continuous publication for more than seventy years and the abundance of its content helped it shape a new Arab mentality capable of dealing with the rapid scientific developments and modern intellectual tools witnessed by the