E414 | Abdul Rahman Munif is one of the most celebrated authors in the Arabic language. In this episode, we sit down with literature scholar Suja Sawafta to learn about the social and political experiences that shaped Munif as an author, and in particular, we explore the role of the environment in some his most important works such as Cities of Salt. We discuss why Munif's politics led him to literature, and we explore how through his fiction writing, Munif provides a vivid account and critique of the history of oil and its impact in the Middle East.
More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2019/06/munif.html
Suja Sawafta is a DPhil Candidate in Modern Arabic Literature at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford and Visiting Lecturer of Modern Arabic Literature at the University of Virginia. She holds an M.A. in Franco-Arab Studies from UNC Chapel Hill and a joint Graduate Certificate in Middle East Studies from Duke and UNC. Her research on Munif lies at the intersection of exile, intellectual commitment, political dissent, and post-colonial studies.
Chris Gratien is Assistant Professor of History at University of Virginia, where he teaches classes on global environmental history and the Middle East. He is currently preparing a monograph about the environmental history of the Cilicia region of the former Ottoman Empire from the 1850s until the 1950s.
Rebecca Alemayehu is a rising third year from Houston, Texas at the University of Virginia . She is studying Political and Social Thought with plans to pursue law school post-graduation.
CREDITS
Episode No. 414
Release Date: 14 June 2019
Recording Location: University of Virginia
Audio editing by Chris Gratien
Music: Zé Trigueiros
Bibliography courtesy of Suja Sawafta available at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2019/06/munif.html
