Languages in Libya: Building Blocks of National Identity and Soft Power Tools

Tracing the general lines of language policies in Libya since independence, this article discusses how Arabic has been instrumental in forging a national identity, and examines its role as a soft power tool used by Qadhafi's regime through the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), established in 1972, which prioritised the teaching of the Arabic language. The article seeks to understand whether the 2011 revolution - at least until 2013, before the beginning of the ongoing internal conflict - has challenged the role of Arabic as the only constituent language of national identity.