Khaberni - Professor Dr. Mohammed Al-Majali, president of Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, inaugurated a symposium on "Sustainability in Language, Literature, and Criticism ", as part of the university's celebration of World Arabic Language Day. In this event, Professor Dr. Shukri Aziz Al-Madi was honored in appreciation of his distinguished contributions to the field of modern Arab literary criticism.
The symposium saw participation from a group of specialized academics including Professor Dr. Razan Ibrahim from Petra University, Professor Dr. Shahla Al-Ujayli from the American University, Professor Dr. Issa Burhama from Hashemite University, and Professor Dr. Abdel Hamid Al-Husami from King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia, along with Dr. Nart Qakhoun from Al-Bayt University.
Dr. Al-Majali welcomed the professors and academics at the start of the symposium, emphasizing the importance of the Arabic language as a fundamental pillar of cultural and civilizational identity, and the necessity of preserving and enhancing its presence in the fields of education, media, and scientific research. He also stressed the pivotal role of universities in enabling students to master Arabic and develop skills in writing and expression, which meet contemporary requirements and contribute to building an informed generation capable of creativity and effective communication.
Dr. Al-Majali noted that interest in the Arabic language is not limited to the academic aspect alone but also extends to include cultural activities and student initiatives that enhance its usage in university life, emphasizing the importance of activating partnerships and training programs that contribute to developing students' skills and enabling them to efficiently employ the Arabic language in various scientific and professional fields.
For his part, Professor Dr. Shukri Aziz Al-Madi highly valued the university's recognition of him, affirming that this honor adds to the university's known record of interest in cultural, creative, and scientific research activities; he confirmed that literature serves as the memory of culture and the function of literary criticism is to reinvigorate this memory and that literature builds a structure of values articulated through language, and the critic’s strategic function is to nurture these values, thus achieving the desired sustainability of literature and criticism together.
The participants' papers all emphasized that discussing linguistic and critical sustainability is not a mere intellectual luxury but a necessity imposed by the new realities and its technological challenges and rapid changes; sustainability discourse represents a necessary academic response to contemporary existential crises and attempts to foresee the future and preserve identity and human values in a changing world. The symposium recommended institutionalizing the discourse of sustainability in language, literature, and criticism to make it an active part of curricula, scientific research, and creative writing, thereby elevating the status of the Arabic language and contributing to its spread.
The organizer of the symposium, Professor Dr. Subha Al Alqam mentioned that the topic of the symposium is one of the new and important issues being addressed in the intellectual and critical arena, as literary and critical sustainability are tools capable of evaluating society, not just creative texts. The symposium was attended by the dean of the faculty, Dr. Musa Al-Zghoul, and a large number of faculty, administrative staff, and students.
