Yale Bulletin and Calendar

October 24, 2003|Volume 32, Number 8

Panel to look at 'Iraq Beyond the Headlines'

The history and cultural heritage of Iraq -- and the ways in which the recent war in that country has put that heritage at stake -- are among the topics that will be explored in "Iraq Beyond the Headlines II," a panel discussion by Yale scholars of the Near East.

The event, sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC), will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. in Rm. 102 of Linsly-Chittenden Hall (LC), 63 High St. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be simulcast in Rooms 211 and 317 of LC.

This is the second event sponsored by the department that aims to inform the Yale community and beyond about Iraq's rich cultural history. Last spring, scholars from the department discussed this subject in an event titled "Iraq Beyond the Headlines I."

"Six months after our teach-in last spring, we in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations feel that it is our continuing responsibility to share with the University community our collective expertise in the cultural and historical context of the present situation in Iraq," says Karen P. Foster, a lecturer in NELC and one of the panelists for the event. "We have spent our scholarly careers committed to studying this part of the world in times past, but we also know well and care deeply about the region today, especially its people and cultural heritage."

In a talk titled "Art, Archaeology, War," Foster -- along with Eckart E. Frahm, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in NELC -- will discuss the foundation by Gertrude Bell of the Iraq Antiquities Organization, the consequences of the Gulf War involving the sale of antiquities to raise hard currency and the "failure of the planners of the latest war to take cultural heritage into consideration despite every effort by scholars beforehand to have them do so," Foster says.

Siam Bhayro, a lector in NELC, will moderate the panel discussion. The event's other panelists and their topics, are:

* Benjamin Foster, the William M. Laffan Professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature and director of undergraduate studies in NELC, whose talk on "Creating a New Iraq, 1919-1923" will examine British efforts following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire to create a nation in Iraq, as well as the relevance of that effort to the current situation in the country;

* Dimitri Gutas, who will speak on the topic "Libraries, Books, Information," a discussion about the importance of irreplaceable collections of manuscripts in the Iraq libraries, the current state of affairs in the country, freedom of the press and broadcasting there, particularly the banning of certain information sources; and

* Bassam Frangieh, senior lector in NELC, whose talk "Reaction in the Arab/Islamic World" will look at the Arab/Islamic world's response to the occupation of Iraq, the consequences of these reactions for the United States, and the "current pulse" of the Arab/Islamic world.

For further information, call (203) 432-2944.

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