UCLA to Study Representations of
Middle East Through Literature, Music
Through December, 2005, six different events at UCLA will cast a critical eye at "Orientalism" - or the propensity to ascribe a host of negative stereotypes to inhabitants of the wide swath between Morocco and Japan, but mostly the Middle East.
On Oct. 21, a two-day conference at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is being organized by UCLA English Professors Saree Makdisi and Felicity Nussbaum. "The Arabian Nights in Historical Context" will assemble nine international scholars to discuss how Orientalism captivated Europe during the Enlightenment.
Information: www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/c1718cs
From Sep. 6 to Dec. 16, Powell Library will display an exhibit of Middle Eastern-inspired ephemera collected by Jonathan Friedlander, assistant director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies. "Seducing America: Selling the Middle Eastern Mystique" will include such vintage pieces of sheet music as "Rebecca Came Back from Mecca," advertisements, samples of consumer products from the past and present, Las Vegas souvenirs and images depicting architecture, pageantry and entertainment. The event will include a free speakers' series. Speakers will include:
- Michael Cooperson, associate professor, UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, "Baghdad and Hollywood," Friday, Oct. 28, at 3 p.m. Location: Powell Library, Room 270-1.
- Charles Perry, food writer, The Los Angeles Times, "One Thousand and One Bites: Food in the Tales," Saturday, Nov. 5. at 8 p.m. Location: Powell Library's Second Floor Rotunda.
- Jonathan Friedlander, UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, "Rebecca Came Back from Mecca and Other Follies from the Annals of American Orientalism," Thursday, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. Location: Powell 270-1.
"300 Years of 1001 Nights," which will be on display from Oct. 19 through Nov. 30 at UCLA's Charles E. Young Research Library, presents early and fine editions of "Arabian Nights" from UCLA Library's Department of Special Collections. The display includes volumes from the first edition of "Les Mille et Une Nuit." Also on view are richly illustrated editions of the "Arabian Nights" from the university's renowned collection of rare children's books. Hours vary.
Information: www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/news.htm
