May 21, 2004 Women and Entertainment in Arab World is Subject of June 3 Lecture at the Library of Congress

Press Contact: Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022
Public Contact: Mary Jane Deeb (202) 707-1221

Sherifa Zuhur, director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic and Diasporic Studies at Cleveland State University, will deliver a lecture titled "Singing a New Song: Women and Entertainment in the Arab World" at noon on Thursday, June 3, in Room 139 of the Library's James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

In her discussion, Zuhur will argue that traditionally in the Middle East the artist, actor and performer have provided audiences with new ways of looking at things. According to Zuhur, the artist also has been a "fashioner of taste ... [and a ] voice of conscience... [and] of ethics." She sees the artist in the Middle East as a social critic and a satirist, in addition to an entertainer.

Sponsored jointly by the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and the African and Middle Eastern Division, the program is part of a lecture series on "Giving Voice to Change: Muslim Women in the Era of Global Communication," which is offered by American University's Center for Global Peace and the Mohamed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace. The goal of the series is to address the complexities and contradictions of Muslim women's lives and their status in a world influenced by globalization.

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PR 04-112
2004-05-21
ISSN 0731-3527