history
When the President Spoke to Nubia
The question of whether Egypt’s first president delivered a speech in the threatened Nubian language of Kenzi is more than purely symbolic. It goes to the heart of questions of identity that have long plagued Nubia and its marginalized people, torn between their roots and the Egyptian nationalist project.
Tribal Politics
Disputes over the dating of Eid al-Adha in southern Oman led to arrests this year, as the minor point of religious observance revealed growing tensions over the place of the country’s tribes in its society and politics, an issue with a deep history and profound ramifications.
Malcolm X and the Difficulties of Diplomacy
In 1964, Malcolm X embarked on a 23-week journey across Africa and the Middle East. The ambitious campaign of personal diplomacy to raise awareness of racism in the United States would transform his religious and political outlook but also reveal the limits of postcolonial solidarity.
Exploring Paul Gauguin’s Search for the ‘Primitive’ in Tahiti
In April 2024, I was reading Gauguin’s journal of his time in Tahiti, in preparation for a seminar I was to give to passengers on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. Little did I realize how transformative this selection would be.
Recovering the Bawdy Humor of Classical Arabic Literature
While those who advocate censorship tend to invoke the past, classical Arabic literature often mirrors today’s informality and humor. Stories and anecdotes laced with profanity were told in the same candid manner in which they were composed, without any hesitation or disgust.
Al-Mutanabbi’s Status as the ‘Shakespeare of the Arabs’ Was Always Controversial
Though some today ask whether al-Mutanabbi, long hailed as the greatest Arab poet, truly deserves the title, they ignore the fact that his reputation was always in dispute.
How Exiles in Argentina Shaped France’s Resistance to Nazi Occupation
After the Nazis marched into France in 1940, a French veteran living almost 7,000 miles away in Buenos Aires started a small bulletin to counter fascist ideology — and sparked what would become one of the largest Free French resistance movements in the world.