The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute presents a diverse series of virtual talks this October

Abu Dhabi : The NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Institute has launched a diverse series of virtual events throughout October that cover a diverse range of societal, historical, cultural, and environmental topics. Registration for the virtual program is free and open to the public to attend online. For more information, please visit this page.

Online talks                              

Pride & Future: Cultural Heritage in Afghanistan

Sunday, October 3 from 7-8:30pm

Reflecting on Afghanistan’s diverse heritage, this talk is part of the Heritage and Memory series and is presented by The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute in collaboration with the Dhakira Center for Heritage Studies in the UAE.

Speakers: Omar Sultan, Former Deputy Minister of Culture in Afghanistan; Robert Parthesius, Director of Dhakira Center for Heritage Studies; Associate Professor of Heritage Studies, NYUAD

Migrants Through Time: An Insight Into the Female Diasporic Voice

Tuesday, October 5 from 7- 8:30pm

This talk discusses the role of place in diasporic literature and the universality of women’s voices. Who can speak for whom? What role do distance and diasporic privilege play? Does nostalgia take on dangerous potential? And does it really matter if writing is about the confluence of one’s imagination and memory?

Speakers: Sabyn Javeri, author, Hijabistan (Harper Collins, 2019); Senior Lecturer of Writing, NYUAD; Saba Khan, author, Skyfall (Bloomsbury, 2020); Instructor of Social Science, NYUAD;

Tishani Doshi, Associate Professor of Practice, Literature and Creative Writing, NYUAD

 Climate Conversations

Wednesday, October 6 from 5-6:30pm

The NYUAD Office of Sustainability and Stewardship and the NYUAD Office of Inclusion and Equity discuss the impact of climate change on global communities and the importance of facilitating multi-sector solutions to address the “grand challenge” of our time. The talk is part of the Climate Conversations lecture series and the panel discussion is co-hosted by the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and moderated by NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann.

Speakers:
Qais AlSuwaidi, Director, Climate Change Department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment UAE; Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of NYUAD Water Research Center, NYUAD; Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director at The Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership; Diallo Shabazz, Co-Founder Birthright Africa, Global Sustainability

A Paper Trail Across the Lands of Islam

Tuesday, October 12 from 7-8:30pm

This talk presents the largely unknown history of paper across the lands of Islam. It reveals how, long before the invention of printing, this remarkable medium transformed Islamic societies in so many ways.

Speaker: Jonathan Bloom, Professor Emeritus, Department of Art, Art History & Film, Boston College

Five Days That Shaped the UAE
Sunday, October 24 from 7-8:30pm
The talk is part of the “UAE 50th Anniversary” series and reflects on a period of celebration, turmoil, and anticipation. The five days between November 28 and December 2, 1971, saw Abu Dhabi mark the fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed as Ruler, an invasion by Iran, and a never-to-be-forgotten appearance by the Star of the East herself – Umm Kulthum.
Speaker: James Langton, Journalist, Writer & Editor

How Gen Z Can Get Stronger, Smarter, and Happier

Tuesday, October 26 from 7-8:30pm
Rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm are far higher for those in Gen Z (born after 1996) than any previous generation, including the Millennials. Employers report that Gen Z employees are often more fragile and lacking in life-skills. This talk explores three terrible ideas, interacting with new technology, that have weakened Gen Z, and discusses how young people can put themselves on a path to becoming stronger, smarter, and happier by rejecting these ideas and embracing ancient, time-tested, and culturally widespread advice.

Speaker: Jonathan Haidt, Co-Author, The Coddling of the American Mind (Penguin Press, 2018); Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, NYU Stern

A Map of Many Cities: The Making of “Building Sharjah”

Sunday, October 31 from 7-8:30pm

This talk explores the collaborative research efforts to produce Building Sharjah, the first book –not only in the UAE but in the region – to document the history of the Gulf city. The panelists share the driving force behind the book and describe the journey of documenting the rise of Sharjah through stories from its citizens, residents, and immigrants. The talk is part of the “UAE 50th Anniversary” series and moderated by Shatha Al Mulla, Director of the Visual Arts and Design Department, Ministry of Culture and Youth in the UAE.

Speakers: Todd Reisz, author, Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai (Stanford University Press, 2020), Co-Editor, Building Sharjah (Birkhauser, 2021); Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School, co-editor Building Sharjah (Birkhauser, 2021); Reem Khorshid, Lead Researcher, Building Sharjah (Birkhauser, 2021), Farah Fayyad, Graphic Designer, Building Sharjah (Birkhauser, 2021)

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 About The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

Established in 2008, The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute is a center of advanced research, scholarly, and creative activity for Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the world. Its academic conferences serve as a scholarly platform for NYU Abu Dhabi faculty, and faculty across the global network, to discuss and showcase their innovative research and creative activity. Its diverse public program of talks, panel discussions, film screenings, and exhibitions feature scholars, researchers, policy makers, and thought leaders who present topics of local and global significance. From its inception, The Institute has hosted more than 800 academic conferences and public events, and welcomed over 800 speakers from around the world.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from more than 120 nations and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.

© Press Release 2021