The British University in Dubai Hosts Big Bard Bonanza
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare is a major influence on the Arab World, a leading academic will demonstrate in a public lecture.
Professor Bryan Loughery, a special guest of The British University in Dubai, will be discussing "Arabesque: Shakespeare in Arabia". Loughery has set himself the ambitious task of explaining how a country boy from Stratford-Upon-Avon authored works for the entire world, including the United Arab Emirates.
"It's a tale of trade, empire and globalization, linking the Yemen, the Great Mughal, Arabic versions of the Bard, and performances of Twelfth Night in Doha," said Loughery. "Shakespeare is unique in that his work appears to influence and rise above the needs of particular eras, cultures and languages," he added.
Dr. Loughery, Director of Oakleigh International management consultants, first proposed some of these ideas to the most recent World Shakespeare Congress. He is keen to discuss the Bard's relevance to the GCC region, bringing a novel and subtle theme to the development of a knowledge economy in the United Arab Emirates.
"This is mind-expanding material and a chance to hear just how much we owe to Shakespeare, credited by eminent critic Harold Bloom with the 'invention of the human'," said Dr. Clifton Chadwick, Senior Lecturer in Management at the Faculty of Education, The British University in Dubai.
The lecture is scheduled to take place on Monday 14 January at the BUiD auditorium, starting at 6:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.
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About Dr Bryan Loughrey
Dr Bryan Loughrey is Director of Oakleigh International, a UK management consultancy company with head quarters located in the UAE. Prior to joining Oakleigh he was Director of Research for two UK universities. He is Visiting Professor of Literary Studies at the University of Hertfordshire and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Bryan has published extensively on the topic of Renaissance literature and his work is featured in the University of Cambridge's anthology of the 'finest Shakespeare criticism of the 20th Century'. Arabesque is based upon a paper given at the most recent World Shakespeare Congress. A simultaneous translation of the paper into Arabic will be provided by Dr Heba Aziz.
About The British University in Dubai
The British University in Dubai (BUiD) is the Middle East's first research-based, postgraduate university. The University was established to facilitate access to world-class education, training and research in the Middle East. BUiD aspires to the highest, internationally recognized British standards as reflected in its partnership with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University and the Cass Business School at City University, London. Each has a five or five-star rating in the UK national Research Assessment Exercise that signifies research of international standard.
The not-for-profit university offers full and part-time Masters Degree programmes and Continuing Professional Development courses in Information Technology, Project Management, Human Resources Management, Sustainable Design of the Built Environment, Finance and Banking, Education, and IT Management.
All BUiD's current Masters Programmes have received Initial Accreditation Eligibility Status from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's Commission for Academic Accreditation.
The founders of the University are the Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, Rolls-Royce, the British Business Group and the National Bank of Dubai. The University is governed by a Council under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
The Emirates Group, DUCAB, Atkins, Dubai Duty Free, Hyder Consulting, the Emirates Foundation and DUGAS are supporters of the university through financial contributions or the provision of scholarships.
For further enquiries call BUiD on +971 4 391 3633.
© Press Release 2008
