News and Events

Mapping the Evolution of Arabic Literary Representations of China: 1880-1940

This presentation explores how Arab intellectuals during the Nahda—the so-called Arab cultural renaissance—engaged with Chinese culture, its anti-colonial struggle, constitutional revolution, and women’s rights.

Mariam Ghani is an artist, writer, and filmmaker. Her work examines places, spaces, and moments where social, political, and cultural structures manifest in visible forms, encompassing video, sound, installation, photography, performance, text, and data. 

Remarks and awards for Arabic department seniors and their families.

Join Nadim Maghzal, MNSA (Wake Island Duo) and guests performers for a special edition of their NYC party series, Laylit at the Bunker on March 28. Highlighting SWANA dance music and EDM, Laylit is a high energy performance by world class DJs you don’t want to miss.  Read more about Laylit here, and check out Nadim and MNSA performing with Boiler Room here. Open to the public. No bags allowed.

The Arabic Department invites the Middlebury College community to enjoy Arabic food at its monthly gathering to celebrate Arab culture.

The Arabic Department invites the Middlebury College community to enjoy Arabic food at its monthly gathering to celebrate Arab culture.

Amira Hass, Jerusalem born and daughter of two Jewish holocaust survivors,  joined Haaretz daily in 1989 and has been the paper’s correspondent in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1993.    She lived in Gaza between 1993-1997 and since then in El-Bireh, the West Bank.   Her book “Drinking the Sea at Gaza” was published by Henry Holt in 2000.  Two other books, in various languages, are compilations of her articles in Haaretz and the Italian weekly Internazionale.

The Promise and Peril of Big Dams in Africa and the Middle East, 1955-1970

Lyd is a sci-fi documentary directed by Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland (directors will be present at the screening for a post-screening Q&A)

Lyd explores the untold history and present-day struggles of Lyd (Lod), a Palestinian city with a significant rich past and challenging present. Through personal stories and historical analysis, the film sheds light on the city’s cultural erasure, ongoing displacement, and the resilience of its Palestinian inhabitants.

Pizza and refreshments will be served. 

In 2011, Syrians took to the streets demanding freedom. Brutal government repression transformed peaceful protests into one of the most devastating conflicts of our times, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions. In her new book, Wendy Pearlman (Northwestern University) draws upon hundreds of interviews conducted across more than a decade to probe an intimate and universal question. What is home? Syrians now on five continents share stories of leaving, losing, searching, and finding (or not finding) home.