Halim Barakat ( ar, حليم بركات) is an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

novelist and sociologist. He was born December 4, 1936, into a Greek-Orthodox

family in Kafroun, Syria, and raised in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

.''Biography for the Arab Pioneers in America'', Barakat, Halim, retrieved September 21, 2007 .

Career

Barakat received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

in 1955, and his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1960 in the same field. He received both from the American University of Beirut. He received his PhD in

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the ...

in 1966 from the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. From 1966 until 1972 he taught at the American University of Beirut. He then served as research fellow at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

from 1972 to 1973, and taught at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

in 1975-1976. From 1976 until 2002 he was Teaching Research Professor at The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. Barakat has written about twenty books and fifty essays on society and culture in journals such as the

British Journal of Sociology ''The British Journal of Sociology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1950 at the London School of Economics. It represents the mainstream of sociological thinking and research and publishes high quality papers on all asp ...

, the

Middle East Journal ''The Middle East Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Middle East Institute ( Washington, D.C.). It was established in 1947 and covers research on the modern Middle East, including political, economic, and socia ...

, Mawakif and al-Mustaqbal al-Arabi. His publications are primarily concerned with difficulties facing modern Arab societies such as alienation,

crises A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...

, freedom and

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

. He has also published seven novels and a collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

. These are rich with symbolism and allegory to world events. His novel ''Six Days'' (''Sitat Ayam'', 1961) is prophetically named for a real war yet to come in 1967; as such, it became a prelude to the later novel ''Days of Dust'' (Awdat al-Ta'ir ila al-Bahr'', 1969), which unfolds the existential drama of the June War of 1967.

Selected books

* * * Ta'ir al-Howm (1988) A novel in Arabic translated into English by Bassam Frangieh and Roger Allen. * * * * * * * * * Sitat Ayam (1961), a novel in Arabic translated into English by Bassam Frangieh and Scott McGehee. * From the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies' symposium, ''North Africa Today: Issues of Development and Integration'', held at Georgetown University (1982). Introduction and chapter by Barakat. * * * Awdat Altair Ila albahr (1969), a novel in Arabic translated into English by Trevor LeGassick with an introduction by Edward Said. * * A collection of short stories. *

Additional books, articles, reviews, and recordings

''The Arab World: Society, Culture and State''

Worldcat Search for "Barakat, Halim"

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Google Books Search for Halim Barakat

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barakat, Halim 1936 births American University of Beirut alumni University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni American University of Beirut faculty Harvard University faculty University of Texas at Austin faculty Georgetown University faculty American people of Syrian descent Syrian novelists Syrian sociologists Living people People from Tartus