Art historian and author of “What is 'Islamic' Art?: Between Religion and Perception”, Wendy Shaw talks to us about whether art can truly be "Islamic" or "theological", and if so, what that means. We talk about the complex ways in which museums interact with the broader economies and what this means for decolonizing the field of art history, and her roundabo ... Show More
Jan 12
A History of Algeria & the Worlds of Islam | Professor James McDougall
The conversation covers the historical emergence of Algeria as a political and territorial unit, starting in the Ottoman period in the 16th century. Key pivotal moments in Algerian history are highlighted, including French colonialism beginning in 1830, which led to a settler col ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 22
Textile Workers & the Syrian-American Working Class | Stacy D. Fahrenthold
Discover the interconnectedness of peddling and factory work, the surprising origins of the Aloha shirt, and the key role Syrian workers played in major labor actions like the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Associate Professor of History at the University ... Show More
51m 30s
Dec 15
Julia Elyachar | On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance & Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo
The discussion covers the evolving role of debt as an instrument of empire, the emergence of sovereign wealth funds, and the ways financial instruments and flows of money subtly shape political realities and people's lives in the region. Professor Elyachar discusses her latest bo ... Show More
59m 27s
Mar 2024
A Moment of Becoming: Understanding Palestine Through Its Art | Yazid Anani
Starting with the Qattan Foundation's recent exhibition "Gaza: A Moment of Becoming", Yazid explains why this is not an ordinary exhibition, reflecting on the particular importance of Palestinian art and artists today, especially post October 7. He discusses the history of Palest ... Show More
56m 24s
May 2023
Lisa McCormick, "The Cultural Sociology of Art and Music: New Directions and New Discoveries" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022)
How can sociology help us understand art and music? In The Cultural Sociology of Art and Music: New Directions and New Discoveries (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022), the editor Lisa McCormick, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Edinburgh, draws together the latest resea ... Show More
45m 15s
Oct 2021
Richard J. A. McGregor, "Islam and the Devotional Object" (Cambridge UP, 2020)
In Islam and the Devotional Object: Seeing Religion in Egypt and Syria (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Richard J. A. McGregor, Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University, offers a history of Islamic practice through the aesthetic reception of medieval religious objects. Ela ... Show More
1h 5m
Mar 2023
Introducing Season 2 of Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design From the Arab World
This episode is the official launch of Season 2 of the Khatt Chronicles podcast. In this episode Afikra host, Mikey Mhanna, introduces the Khatt Chronicles hosts, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès (Founding director of the Khatt Foundation), Yasmine Nachabe Taan (professor at the Lebane ... Show More
58m 6s