Constantin Zureiq
Constantin Zureiq قسطنطين زريق | |
|---|---|
| Acting President of the American University of Beirut | |
| In office 1954–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Beasley Linnard Penrose, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Fouad Elskaf |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 18, 1909 |
| Died | August 11, 2000 (aged 91) |
| Relatives | Afaf Zurayk Dimitri Zurayk Camille Zurayk Sami Zurayk Ibrahim Zurayk Michelle Zurayk Michel Zurayk Gilbert Zurayk Kamil Zurayk |
| Alma mater | American University of Beirut Princeton University University of Michigan |
| Profession | Professor, Academic |
Constantin Zureiq (Arabic: قسطنطين زريق, romanized: Qusṭanṭīn Zurayq; [qɔn.sˤɑnˈtˤiːn zoˈrejq]; April 18, 1909 – August 11, 2000) was a prominent Syrian intellectual who was one of the first to pioneer and express the importance of Arab nationalism. He stressed the urgent need to transform stagnant Arab society utilizing rational thought and radical modification of the methods of thinking and acting. Some of his ideas, such as the "Arab mission" and "national philosophy" became key concepts for Arab nationalist thinkers. He was a strong proponent of the intellectual reformation of Arab society, emphasizing the need for rationalism and an ethical revolution.
Zurayik is credited with coining the term Nakba (Arabic for "the catastrophe") to refer to the defeat of the Arabs and loss of Palestine in his 1948 book Ma'na an-Nakba (The Meaning of the Disaster).