Wednesday, February 11, 2015
12 p.m.
Joukowsky Forum
Registration required. Register here.
Book signing to follow.
We are all too familiar with images of the Middle East depicted in mainstream media—often exaggerated and inaccurate, sometimes not as far off the mark as some of us might wish. In recent years, the region has been overwhelmed by occupation, war, revolution, economic crises, and a range of fundamentalisms, among other threats. While the Gulf countries appear relatively calm by comparison with many of their neighbors in the region, this may be a temporary respite. Can the state of Kuwait—site of what might be labeled “the forgotten Gulf war”—provide an alternative view to those currently dominating? In the face of encroaching concerns, what role, if any, can fiction play? Professor Mai Al-Nakib discusses these issues in relation to her recently published collection of short stories, The Hidden Light of Objects.