Terminology Resource Guide
By Abbi North & Tilila Bakrim
About:
The Al Fusaic Advocacy Series is a space for:
Amplifying the voices of activists in the MENA/SWANA region
Educating ourselves about historical and contemporary resistance movements in the MENA/SWANA region
Terminology guides
Resources for getting involved…
And so much more towards our language and knowledge!
Glossary:
Amazigh: ‘Amazigh’ or ‘Imazighen’ is used in place of ‘Berber’ to identify Native North Africans.
S.W.A.N.A: S.W.A.N.A. is a term word for the South West Asian & North African region of the globe in place of Middle Eastern, Near Eastern, Arab World, or Islamic World - phrases all with colonial, Eurocentric, and Orientalist origins.
Afro-Arab: Afro-Arab is a phrase that intends to capture the intersectional identity of Black and Arab individuals.
Photo sources:
Amazigh World News – http://amazighworldnews.com
CBS Local, San Francisco – https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/09/24/sf-library-celebrates-swana-southwest-asia-north-african-culture/
Laura Dale, AfriPop! – http://afripopmag.com/2016/02/04/authentically-black-authentically-arab-a-roundtable-on-afro-arab-identity/
References and Resources:
AMAZIGH
Amazing Amazigh: https://www.instagram.com/amazing.amazigh.off/
The Amazigh Cultural Renaissance: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/amazigh-cultural-renaissance
Nationalia: https://www.nationalia.info/profile/5/amazigh
Free People: The Imazighen of North Africa: https://intercontinentalcry.org/free-people-the-imazighen-of-north-africa/
S.W.A.N.A.
“Middle Eastern” “Arab”: https://www.dance.nyc/programs/jcomm/blog/2019/02/Middle-Eastern-Arab-Why-That-Matters-and-more/
Tarab NYC: https://tarabnyc.org/about/
The SWANA Alliance: https://swanaalliance.com/about
The Limits of Whiteness: https://bookshop.org/books/the-limits-of-whiteness-iranian-americans-and-the-everyday-politics-of-race/9781503603370
Afro-Arab
Authentically Black, Authentically Arab – A Roundtable on Afro-Afro Identity: http://afripopmag.com/2016/02/04/authentically-black-authentically-arab-a-roundtable-on-afro-arab-identity/
“Arab-Black” Solidarity Shouldn’t Erase Afro-Arabs & The Racism They Face In The Arab World: https://afropunk.com/2017/09/arab-black-solidarity-shouldnt-erase-afro-arabs-racism-face-arab-world/
Essential Resources on Racism and Anti-Blackness in the Middle East and North Africa: https://www.pinkjinn.com/2020/06/24/essential-resources-on-racism-and-anti-blackness-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/