Abdurrahman Badawi’s Lexicon of Orientalists and the Significance of Its Albanian Translation
The compilation of lexicons and encyclopedias of Orientalists represents an important tradition in documenting the history of studies concerning the East, particularly the Arabic language and Arab-Islamic civilization. In the Arab world, one of the principal works in this field is The Orientalists by the Lebanese scholar Najib al-Aqiqi, the result of several decades of research, documenting the lives and scholarly activities of more than 1,800 Orientalists. This tradition was continued by Abdurrahman Badawi with his Lexicon of Orientalists, while Yahya Murad, in his Dictionary of Orientalists’ Names (2004), revisited and expanded al-Aqiqi’s work with additional biographies and introductory studies on the history of Orientalism.
Within the European scholarly context, this tradition includes works such as the encyclopedia of Orientalists edited by François Pouillon (2008), which also drew upon French archival sources, and Christine Peltre’s Cultural Dictionary of Orientalism (2008), which focuses on the artistic and literary manifestations of European interest in the East. Despite differences in content and sources, these publications share the objective of systematically documenting the individuals, works, and principal directions of Orientalist scholarship.
Within this tradition, Lexicon of Orientalists by the Egyptian philosopher and polymath Abdurrahman Badawi (1917–2002) occupies a distinctive position. The work contains approximately 130 Orientalists from Europe and America, arranged alphabetically. Each entry presents the scholar’s life and academic background, principal publications, and selected references for further research. The lexicon thus serves as a guide to understanding the contributions of Orientalists to the study of Eastern languages, literatures, history, and cultural heritage. Nevertheless, its predominantly descriptive character and the absence of a theoretical introduction outlining the author’s position on Orientalism leave room for a critical and comparative examination of this intellectual legacy.
Such an examination requires evaluating scholarly works according to their methods, sources, and historical contexts, while avoiding sweeping generalizations. In this respect, Edward Said’s critique in Orientalism (1978) should serve as a stimulus for critical inquiry rather than as grounds for indiscriminately condemning all Orientalists. The connections between certain Orientalist studies and colonialism, as well as the political uses of their findings, do not negate their contributions to the understanding, publication, and interpretation of Arab-Islamic heritage. A balanced assessment distinguishes scholarly achievements from the prejudices and limitations of individual researchers.
The Albanian translation of Lexicon of Orientalists enriches its scholarly value through an extensive explanatory apparatus. The translator’s preface (pp. V–VII) precedes a biography of Abdurrahman Badawi and an overview of his works (pp. X–XX), providing readers with an introduction to the author and his intellectual contributions. More than 628 footnotes offer supplementary information on names, subjects, concepts, and matters requiring clarification for Albanian readers. In addition, the index of names (pp. 367–398) facilitates navigation and the use of the work for academic research.
Through these additions, the Albanian edition becomes a valuable reference resource and a starting point for understanding and critically evaluating the tradition of Orientalist scholarship.
