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New York University Abu Dhabi Institute (NYUADI) has recently announced a series of events open to the public throughout the month of November. Driven towards fostering students’ creativity and critical reflection, this is one of the university’s initiatives to equip students with the necessary ingredients to expand their frontiers of knowledge.
The series of public events for the month of November includes:
Where is “World Literature”?
November 4, 2014, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
NYU Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Campus
“World Literature” suggests a territory without borders, where writers and their readers enjoy international mobility and intelligibility. The judges of the Man Booker International Prize 2015 discuss the meaning of a term coined to cover contemporary developments in fiction and the changing map of literature. They ask whether writers can and should go global, like other travelling goods, and explore how translation affects writers, their work, and their audiences.
Panelists
Wen-Chin Ouyang Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature, University of London
Nadeem Aslam Novelist
Elleke Boehmer Novelist; Professor of World Literature in English, University of Oxford
Edwin Frank Editorial Director, New York Review Classics
Moderated by
Marina Warner Chair, Man Booker International Prize 2015; Professor of English and Creative Writing, Birkbeck College, University of London
The Legacy of the Cairo Genizah
November 9, 2014, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
NYU Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Campus
At the end of the 19th century, travelers discovered a treasure-trove of old manuscripts in a medieval synagogue in Old Cairo. These papers were never thrown out because they usually mentioned the name of God (a similar custom exists in Islam for Qur’an fragments). Over a millennium these manuscripts accumulated in a special antechamber, or Genizah, to form a unique archive. The collection includes hundreds of letters written by Jewish merchants who lived in the Mediterranean Islamic lands, and traveled as far as India during the Middle Ages. This panel discusses the Genizah, it's unique contribution to history, and the development of Amitav Ghosh’s book In an Antique Land, which is based in part on letters of Jewish India traders from the archive. Panelists
Mark Cohen Visiting Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies, NYUAD; Author Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages (Princeton University Press, 1994)
Amitav Ghosh Author In an Antique Land (Vintage, 1994) and River of Smoke (Picador, 2012)
Moderated by
Philip Kennedy General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature; Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, NYUAD
Plagues: From Bubonic to Ebola
November 12, 2014, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
NYU Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Campus
Throughout history our planet has dealt with plagues like the Bubonic plague, pandemic flu, HIV, and the current contagion Ebola. Using these health threats as a lens, this lecture discusses lessons learned and ways to prepare for future health threats. Especially in light of the negative impact of population growth and international travel on infectious disease preparedness it is important to establish systems to rapidly identify new pathogens and restrict their spread.
Speaker
Daniel Malamud Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), NYU School of Medicine
NYUAD Theater Program
November 13-15, 2014
NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center, Saadiyat Campus
"Organs, Tissues and Candy Games" is an investigation into modern day monstrosity. It questions the role of policymaking in scientific advancement and the insatiable pursuit for immortality and security. In this quest for power, must progress always be prioritized against all its collateral damage?
Working with the acclaimed Zoukak Theatre Company from Lebanon, NYUAD students use the story of Frankenstein and his monster to follow a panorama of characters from the past to the future as they struggle with their self-image, with megalomania, beautification, love, desire, loss, confinement, and – ultimately – death. Inspired by the classic Mary Shelley text, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
A Parable of Islam and the West: Margaret Marcus and Mawlana Mawdudi
November 17, 2014, 06:30pm - 08:00pm
NYU Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Campus
The origins of "The Convert," a singular odyssey into the labyrinthine heart of 20th century political Islam, lie in a cache of letters by a convert named Maryam Jameelah, one of the most trenchant and celebrated voices of Islam's argument with the west. They raised the question: What drives a young woman raised in a New York City suburb to convert to Islam, abandon country, family and faith, and move to Pakistan? Casting a shadow over these letters is Mawlana Abul A'la Mawdudi, both her adoptive father and mentor, and a man who laid the foundations for militant Islam. This talk recounts the challenge of writing this book, a finalist for the National Book Award in Non-fiction, during the early years of the American war on terror.
Speaker
Deborah Baker Author of The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism (Graywolf, Penguin India, 2011)
Embracing Sports in the UAE Building Domestically, Expanding Globally
November 19-20, 2014, 8:30am - 4:30pm
NYU Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Campus
Under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development
In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council
Over the last five, years the UAE has hosted several global elite sports events, bolstering the country's domestic success and enhancing its international identity. In the coming years, the UAE will continue to augment domestic sports participation and infrastructure, engage international fans, and expand media coverage while navigating critical challenges that include gender equality and injury-related health risks. As a timely precursor to the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, this conference brings together international sports luminaries, sports business magnates, and top government officials to identify the risks, keys to success, and the legacies of mega sports events in the UAE.
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