Spring Lecture Series Scheduled on the Arab-American Experience in Greater Detroit

By Betsy Barlow

In conjunction with the previously announced exhibition “A Community Between Two Worlds: Arab Americans in Greater Detroit,” the Michigan State University Museum and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (Dearborn) are offering a unique lecture series. Scholars have selected one or two short readings, ranging from poetry and short stories to scholarly essays, that blend personal narratives with theoretical interpretations of the Arab-American experience. While there is no charge, participants should register no later than seven days prior to the lecture to receive the readings. After each lecture, the invited scholars will gather with participants to discuss topics generated by the talk and the readings.

On March 18, Dr. Nabeel Abraham, professor at Henry Ford Community College, spoke on “Margin and Mainstream: Arab-American Identity.” On April 1, Dr. Alixa Naff, author and independent scholar, will speak on “Becoming American: the Early Arab Immigrant Experience.” Sally Howell, one of the organizers of the exhibit, will speak on April 8 on “Art and Artistry: Changing Traditions in a New World.” Barbara Aswad, professor of sociology at Wayne State University, will discuss “Immigration, Culture, and Community Organization” on April 15. Dr. William G. Lockwood, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, will explain “You Are What You Eat: Food and Identity in Arab Detroit” on April 22. On April 29, Dr. Andrew Shryock, assistant professor of anthropology at SUNY-Buffalo, will focus on “Family Resemblances: Communities of Blood and Origin in Arab Detroit.” All lectures are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Michigan State University Museum. To register, or for more information, call (517) 353-9678 or 355-2370. Major funding for the lecture and reading/discussion series is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support comes from the MSU Center for Integrated Studies in Arts and Humanities and the Department of Anthropology, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and Michigan Traditional Arts Program/MSU Museum.

AWAIR Teacher Workshops and Other Events

Audrey Shabbas, president of AWAIR (Arab World and Islamic Resources), will be conducting several teacher workshops under the sponsorship of the Middle East Policy Council: on March 12-13 for the Greater Islamic Center of Cincinnati; March 19 for the Waschusett Regional School District, Holden, MA; March 20 for the University of Washington and the Seattle Public Schools; April 13 for the Muslim Peace Fellowship, Nyack, NY; April 20-21 for the Omaha Public Schools and Creighton University; April 23-24 Boulder (CO) Public Library; and on May 21 Audrey is hoping to be able to get to Maryland to attend the Roland Park Country Day School’s “Medieval Banquet in the Alhambra Palace.”

Audrey just returned from Saudi Arabia, where she did programs for teachers at the TARA (The Arabian Reading Association) meeting in Bahrain. She also met with staff of the Dhahran alliyah schools and brought to them the idea of the new curriculum AWAIR is working on: “Take Your Students on the Hajj.” High school-level students will be accessing primary source documents in Arabic and working on translation, while junior high students will be networking with their counterparts in Gridley, California who are now preparing to do their second simulation of Mansa Musa’s hajj.

While Audrey was in Arabia, other AWAIR staffers did four programs for the California Council for the Social Studies. In addition to the AWAIR summer program already announced, “Understanding the Islamic Paradigm” at Ghost Ranch (NM) June 28-July 5, a week-long program on “Islamic Art” from July 12 to 19 has been added as a segment of the Ghost Ranch Festival of the Arts. Sylvia Godlas and Rahmah Lutz, the teachers, will explain the design principles and help students create a 6-foot “tent panel” or smaller banner or wall hanging. Calligraphy and stained glass and paper-making are all offered in the same week. For registration information on any of the AWAIR programs, contact AWAIR at (510) 704-0517.

SERMEISS Schedule

The Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar (SERMEISS) held its spring meeting March 12-14 at St. Andrew’s College in Laurinburg, NC. The group listened to talks, held discussions and viewed new videos about the Middle East and Islam. The fall meeting will be held Oct. 8-10 at the scenic location of Valle Crucis, NC. Those interested in more information about SERMEISS or in attending the next conference should contact John Parcels, phone (912) 681-5909, e-mail: <parcels@gsvms2.cc.gasou.edu> or mail: SERMEISS, P.O. Box 8023, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8023.

Islamic Culture Workshop

Terrie Chrones will conduct during the winter term an Islamic culture workshop for the Creswell school district in Oregon. Her classes are interactive and focused on cuisine and the art of the Middle East. Middle school students will read the literature of Arabic folktales to accompany preparation of a selection of recipes. At the high school level, advanced ceramics students will make tagine pots, culinary history students will prepare Ottoman and Moroccan recipes, and sculpture students will study some contemporary Arabic artists to profile their work. A senior art student has just completed an Arabic-inspired mural in Kufic and other scripts for the school. Terrie will also serve as culinary consultant for a Portland, Oregon tour group, Ya’alla tours, for its culinary trip to Turkey sometime in March 2000. Contact her for additional information at <Tlatte@aol.com>.

Thomas Merton and Sufism

A fascinating glimpse of Muslim influence on an icon of American literature will appear in the April 14 seminar on “Merton and Sufism: The Untold Story” at the Thomas Merton Center in Louisville, KY. Thomas Merton studied other spiritual traditions in his quest for the divine. We know that he was fascinated with Sufism. The symposium will ask how this interest was born and where it took him.

Speakers at the event are Sidney H. Griffith, professor of Semitic and Egyptian languages and literatures at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC; Nicole Abadie (Khadija Ben Aissa), who joined the Brotherhood and spent much of her life working for the United Nations; Brother Paul Quenon, a novice under Merton and monk at the Abbey of Gethsemane for 41 years; Professor Shems Friendlander from the American University in Cairo; and Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an Iranian by birth, graduate of MIT and Harvard University, former vice chancellor at Tehran University and currently professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University. For further information or reservations, phone the Merton Center in Louisville, KY, (502) 452-8187.

Boston History Conference

Northeastern University in Boston will hold a conference on “World History and the Frameworks: Exchanges and Conflicts” on May 7 and 8. More than 20 global education organizations will present workshops for K-12 teachers. At present each state has designed its own framework. The event is expected to foster a greater appreciation of the advantages and problems inherent in the various frameworks.

Ann Arbor Water Conference

The University of Michigan will present a conference on “Water Conflicts in the Middle East: Environmental Health and Socioeconomic Implications” on Wednesday, April 14 at the university’s Rackham Amphitheater. The public is welcome without charge. The program will start at 9 a.m. with a “Global Overview: Water Resources and Distributional Issues” by Jonathan Bulkley, a professor of natural resources and of civil and environmental engineering and the director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. Khalil H. Mancy, professor of environmental health at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, will then discuss the “Management of the Waters of the River Nile.” Next Mehmet Tomanbay, professor of economics, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, will speak on “Turkey’s Approach to Utilization of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.”

After the lunch break, the topic will be “Water and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” Hillel I. Shuval, Kunen-Lunenfeld Professor of Environmental Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will discuss “Approaches for Reaching an Accommodation for the Equitable Use of the Shared Israeli-Palestinian Waters.” Jad Isaac, director general, Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem and professor at Al-Quds University, will speak on “The Essentials of Sustainable Water Resource Management in Israel and Palestine.” Badri Fattal, professor of environmental sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will conclude the panel with “Environmental Health and Water Management Aspects of Peace and Open Borders Between Israel and Her Neighbors.” Questions and discussion will follow. For further information, contact the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan, (734) 764-0350.

Summer Programs

For teachers, summer vacations offer time for sustained study, away from demands of routine class preparations and constant meetings. It may even offer the chance for study abroad. This year there are many offerings from which to choose. The University of Texas will offer two summer programs in conjuction with the other area studies centers at Texas. The first, June 14-18, will focus on “Cities and Social Change.” It will examine contemporary social history with emphasis on cities, and will incorporate the arts as well. The second program, to be held June 28-July 2, is entitled “Ancient Cultures of Our World,” and is cosponsored by the Texas Humanities Resource Center. For further information, contact Deborah Littrell, outreach coordinator, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712; e-mail: <dlitt@uts.cc.utexas.edu>; phone (512) 471-3881.

Harvard will also offer two different workshops this summer. The first, June 28 through June 30, is on “Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.” Registration fee of $25 includes daily lunches. Daily parking permits are available for $5. The second program, on July 1, is entitled “Global Surfing on the Web.” This workshop is designed for secondary school teachers of world history and social studies, and will discuss what to look for on the Web and how to use it most advantageously. Registration is $20. For registrants in the “Religions” workshop, the fee is only $10. For further information or to register, contact Carol Johnson Shedd at phone (617) 495-4078 or e-mail <shedd@fas.harvard.edu>

Georgetown University will also offer a summer program July 12-16 on “U.S. Policy in the Middle East.” For further information, contact the outreach coordinator, Zeina Azzam Seikaly, phone (202) 687-687-6176 or e-mail: <seikalyz@gunet.georgetown.edu>

Programs in Turkey

Tyler Junior College sponsored a travel/study tour to Turkey during the spring break (March 12-21). The theme was a “Journey to Seven Churches of the Undiscovered Holy Land in Turkey.” The schedule included the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the Mausoleum of Ataturk in Ankara, Cappadocia, Antioch, Hierapolis, Laodecia, Ephesus, St. John’s Basilica, Pergamum, Thyatira, and in Istanbul the museum of St. Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Covered Bazaar.

Harvard University and Bursa Uludag University announce an Intensive Ottoman Turkish summer school in Turkey to be held in July-August every year in Alibey Adasi/Ayvalik in Turkey. Levels of instruction are intermediate and advanced, and each intensive summer course will be equal to a full-year course at any university. The school provides proficiency-based instruction in the reading and translation of Ottoman materials, both printed and hand-written. In addition to daily four-hour instruction in Ottoman there will be daily one-hour conversation based on advanced reading of Modern Turkish texts. Formal course work will be supplemented by weekly seminars taught by leading scholars of Ottoman and Turkish philology. To apply, contact Intensive Ottoman Summer School in Turkey, Harvard University, NELC, 6 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, phone (617) 495-5757, e-mail <stekin@fas.harvard.edu>

The Council on International Educational Exchange will host at Middle East Technical University in Ankara a seminar on “Understanding Islam: Impact on Politics, Economics, and Education” June 6-17. The program is designed for university faculty and administrators. Seminar fees range from $1,400 to $l,995, and include all seminar costs, accommodations, some meals; receptions, airport transfers, and International Teacher Identity Card. For further information, phone 1-888-COUNCIL or e-mail: <IFDS@CIEE.ORG>.

New Resources

Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies is pleased to announce the publication of a unit titled, “The Arab People,” by Steve Tamari, a recent Ph.D. from Georgetown and currently a teacher at Sidwell Friends School. The l0-page backgrounder offers an overview of the cultural, historical, linguistic, religious, and political experiences of the Arabs, from Morocco to Kuwait. A map, list of references, poems, and personal accounts are included. This is a useful resource for middle- and high-school students, and for anyone interested in gaining a general understanding of the Arab world. Orders will be filled starting in May 1999 for a minimal postage and handling fee. Contact Zeina Azzam Seikaly, outreach coordinator, at phone (202) 687-6176.

Textile Museum Resources

The publication Textile Arts of the Islamic World: Working Bibliographies, a publication of the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, is now available on the Web, hosted by the University of Michigan Libraries. Check this resource at <www.lib.umich.edu/ libhome/Area.Programs/Near.East/Textiles/ Textiles.htm>.

The Textile Museum is presenting on March 31 a talk by Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood of the Stichting Textiel Research Centrum in the Netherlands on the textiles found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Two Saturday morning Rug Appreciation talks focus on the Middle East. On March 20, the subject is “Oriental Carpet Fragments,” presented by Harold Keshishian. On April 17, Doug and Helen Stock will present a “Persian Potpourri.”

Betsy Barlow is the program coordinator for the University of Michigan’s Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies in Ann Arbor.