On the Concept of Academic Iliteracy: From Cultural Illiteracy to Academic Illiteracy (Criticism and Enlightenment; Issue 19, September 2021)

In this article, the authors presented the phenomenon of academic illiteracy, which is a very dangerous and sensitive sociological and cognitive phenomenon. Some may consider it a form of provocation to the elite of society, and others may believe it is a contradiction that combines underestimation (illiteracy) and glorification (academic). In addition, it represents an existential threat to the entire Arab future. We sought to dismantle the phenomenon gradually, so the authors proceeded from the general to the specific, that is, from alphabetic illiteracy, to cultural illiteracy, all the way to academic illiteracy. Our attention was directed to defining the phenomenon and seeking its factors, criteria, and manifestations through a critical analytical approach, and by invoking the positions and testimonies of many Arab thinkers who raised their voices warning of the phenomenon and its repercussions.