The study concentrates on the origins, developments and current directions of the discipline called Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) within the Arab world and partially outside of it during the last sixty years, namely between 1958 and 2018. The most influential scholars, authors, educators and those significant works that contributed to the development of the discipline are taken into account.

Andrea Facchin, Ph.D. is research fellow at Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna. He graduated from Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where he is member of DAR Laboratory. His research interests are Arabic language teaching, testing and intercultural communication.

AcknowledgmentsTransliterationList of AbbreviationsArab World MapIntroduction1. The Historical Background2. The Birth of a New Branch3. Growth (1970s)4. Development (1980s)5. New Challenges (1990s)6. In the 21st Century (2000-2010)7. The Present PeriodConclusionsList of EventsA TAFL Who's WhoTAFL InstitutesTablesBibliographyIndex