levantinism means A model of social coexistence proposed by Jacqueline Kahanoff based on her childhood experiences in Egyptian cosmopolitan society in the interwar period.
Why “levantinism” is a great word
A social and cultural model for coexistence in the Eastern Mediterranean that champions hybrid identity and pluralistic cosmopolitanism, as articulated by Jacqueline Kahanoff. From *Levantine*, pertaining to the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean, and the suffix *-ism*, denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy. Unlike cosmopolitanism, which posits a rootless citizenship of the world, or nationalism, which demands a singular, homogeneous identity, Levantinism is a rooted cosmopolitanism born from specific historical layers of trade, migration, and shared space. It is the polyglot marketplace of Alexandria where a dozen mother tongues braid together in a single transaction; the shared courtyard in Beirut where families negotiate the volume of radios and the timing of festivals; the faint trace of Venetian glass in an Aleppo courtyard—a fragile, pragmatic dream of plurality, the quiet conviction that identity is not a fortress to be defended but a crossroads to be inhabited.
Etymology
Levantine + -ism
noun
- A model of social coexistence proposed by Jacqueline Kahanoff based on her childhood experiences in Egyptian cosmopolitan society in the interwar period.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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