Across three volumes, the Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History tackles wide-ranging topics, including masculinity in Iranian cinema and crossdressing in the Middle East. Hanadi Al-Samman coordinated the 56 entries in the encyclopedia connected to the Middle East.
“My [MESALC]major really expanded my worldview, and the fact that it was an interdisciplinary major gave me the facility to look at any particular topic in multiple ways, which I think is incredibly helpful for actors. There are parts of acting where you have to learn about the history of something, the culture you’re in, and how people communicate. I think it has influenced how I approach my acting work.”
MESALC joins President Ryan, Dean Baucom and other UVA departments and programs in most strongly condemning and unequivocally denouncing systematic racism that has been manifested most recently in the heartless and brutal killings of innocent black people. MESALC most vocally rejects all forms of marginalization, biases, harassments, exploitations, and targeted violence nationally and internationally. Our department stands united with our students, staff, colleagues, and community against all forms of racism, inequities, injustices, and brutalities.
During the height of Muslim power in Mughal South Asia, Hindu and Muslim scholars worked collaboratively to translate a large body of Hindu Sanskrit texts into the Persian language. Translating Wisdom reconstructs the intellectual processes and exchanges that underlay these translations.
The Department of Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2020! To mark this special (and unusual) occasion, we have put together this celebratory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUq0fO6Q1s
Assistant Professor Mehr Farooqi writes about the CAA protests at Jamia and adjusting to life under lockdown in New Delhi.
We are delighted to share the fantastic news that Professor Farzaneh Milani is the recipient of the 2020 Cavaliers' Distinguished Teaching Professorship Award, UVA's most prestigious award and one of the most coveted awards in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the US. Please follow the link below to read more:
https://news.virginia.edu/content/award-winning-teachers-share-their-sec...
We wanted to share the exciting news that Professor Hanadi Al-Samman’s co-edited Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History took home the prestigious Dartmouth Medal at yesterday's awards ceremony at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference. Informally considered the Best Picture Oscar of the reference industry, the Dartmouth is a highly coveted honor and one that Gale (the Encyclopedia’s publisher) last received in 2001.
Samhita Sunya has curated a sidebar of 6 films for this year’s edition of the Virginia Film Festival, co-sponsored by the Institute of the Humanities & Global Cultures and Department of Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures. As a continuation from last year’s sidebar, Samhita sought accessible, contemporary films that emphasize the linguistic, geographic, and thematic diversity of filmmaking practices connected to the regions of the Middle East & South Asia.
![The [European] Other in Medieval Arabic Literature and Culture](https://mesalc.as.virginia.edu/sites/mesalc.as.virginia.edu/files/styles/publication_crop__180x250_/public/51Uw-gmAP4L._SX331_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg?itok=C7xEGSU8)
