college of arts & sciences
Imagine If We Sat at a Global Dinner Table
Year of the Middle East Continues Program
"Sleepless Nights/Wasted Time: Seeking Islam in Egypt's Hollywood"
Professor Joel Gordon will explore the depiction of ‘normative’ religious practices and personal expressions of religious identity in recent Egyptian movies with a particular focus is on Egyptian youth. Whereas in the past signs of piety had been restricted to either ‘traditional’ Egyptians – often in comic fashion – or political extremists, a few recent films have dared to depict ‘normal’ veiled women and bearded men and even a social environment in which questions of piety, morality and proper behavior dominate the discussions, concerns and conflicts between young Egyptians. These films may point to a growing willingness by film artists to honestly explore social trends that have been taboo, especially as Egypt enters a new political era.
Prof. Joel Gordon: Professor of History and Director of Middle East Studies, University of Arkansas; Specialist in modern Egyptian history and Arab popular culture; Author of Nasser' Blessed Movement, Revolutionary Melodrama, and Nasser: Hero of the Arab Nation
John L. Esposito - The Future of Islam
One of the most respected American scholarly authority on Islam, John L. Esposito, visited the University of Kentucky Wednesday, September 10, 2014, to discuss “The Future of Islam: Assessing the Elements of Reform, Revival, and Fundamentalism in the Muslim World,” at the Singletary Center Recital Hall.