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The Middle East is drowning in oppressive utopias
Read more: The Middle East is drowning in oppressive utopiasSimon Wolfgang Fuchs and Thomas Pierret explore the gap between oppressive and emancipatory utopias in the Middle East and North Africa

Tracing the life and work of Rashid al-Din
By Stefan Kamola, author of Making Mongol History: Rashid al-Din and the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh Early in 1839, Professor of Linguistics Duncan Forbes arrived in Inverness with Mir Afzal Ali, representative of the Maharaja of Satara. They had come to visit…

When in Doubt, Seduce: screenwriter Allie Hagan talks about the fascinating relationship between Elaine May and Mike Nichols
By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Dean Brandum In late 2017, the annual “Black List” was released, a high-profile list of the most promising as yet unproduced screenplays circulating in Hollywood voted for by industry executives. This list of the top yet-to-be-made…

Finding a Language of My Own – Maya Issam Kesrouany on the Making of Modern Egyptian Literature
Much like the translators in my book (Prophetic Translation: The Making of Modern Egyptian Literature), I have also found myself speaking in languages that felt simultaneously very familiar and extremely alien. When I was in Cairo in 2006, I recognized…

The Art of Kharita Dispatching in the Late 19th Century Afghanistan
Kharita dispatching On 2 Ramadan 1316 AH/ 15 January 1899, Amir Abdul Rahman Khan of Afghanistan (r. 1880–1901), sent an official letter, categorised as murāsala, to Lord George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India (in office, 1898–1911). Eventually, the ceremonially-illuminated letter…

Stick ‘em Up: How a South African Horror Film Prophesied Apartheid’s Road to Nowhere
By Calum Waddell Last year’s superior possession shocker Hereditary (from director Ari Aster) and the recent release of Jordan Peele’s Us has resulted in a new term, ‘elevated horror’, being introduced into the critical lexicon, much to the chagrin of…

What did Virginia Woolf really think about Holy Week and Easter? (4 of 4)
Jane de Gay discusses what Virginia Woolf really thought about Easter in a series of blog posts throughout Holy Week.

What did Virginia Woolf really think about Holy Week and Easter? (3 of 4)
Jane de Gay discusses what Virginia Woolf really thought about Easter in a series of blog posts throughout Holy Week.

What did Virginia Woolf really think about Holy Week and Easter? (2 of 4)
Jane de Gay discusses what Virginia Woolf really thought about Easter in a series of blog posts throughout Holy Week.

What did Virginia Woolf really think about Holy Week and Easter? (1 of 4)
Jane de Gay discusses what Virginia Woolf really thought about Easter in a series of blog posts throughout Holy Week.