UCSB Film and Media Studies professor Mona Damluji recently discussed her journey into children's literature and the inspiration behind her socially-conscious works. Damluji published her debut children’s book, Together, in 2021, emphasizing the power of collective action. Her upcoming book, I Want You to Know, dives deeper into personal and political narratives. Written as a poem for her children, the book reflects on the generational effects of war, particularly in the Middle East, and explores themes of displacement and resilience. Damluji aims to open dialogue about complex histories, colonialism, and intergenerational trauma.
Filmmaker and director Persis Karim visited UC Santa Barbara for a screening of her film The Dawn is Too Far, hosted by the Center for Middle East Studies. The film details how art serves as a cultural creative outlet for many Iranian immigrants who moved to America.
Jewish Israeli Rotem Levin and Palestinian Osama Iliwat discussed their transformative life experiences and the different realities they face in the same land, in a discussion hosted by UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. As violence escalates in the Middle East, leaving many devastated, the two activists are holding conversations around the world, to encouraging individuals to listen to one another and challenge presumptions. By doing so, they aim to foster a future of peace and freedom for all.
A Woman, Life ,Freedom art projection was displayed on campus earlier this week in solidarity with the struggle for women’s equality in Iran. Shiva Balaghi, a cultural historian and academic coordinator of the UCSB Area Global Initiative, collaborated with her colleagues at two nonprofit organizations, Mozaik and ArtRise Collective, to create the public art project.
Activists in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, including Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, visited UC Santa Barbara’s Multicultural Center to speak about the increase in Anti-AAPI violence and bias in America after the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a panel discussion, Kulkarni gave a keynote presentation titled “Challenging Hate: How to Stop AAPI Violence.”
Swarthmore College anthropologist Sa’ed Atshan discussed LGBTQ movements across the Middle East and North Africa region in a virtual talk sponsored by UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Middle East Studies. Atshan focused on the story of late Egyptian activist Sarah Hegazi and said hope is necessary for social change.
Last week, the Center for Middle East Studies hosted a conversation with Brooklyn-based clinical psychologist Hala Alyan about culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed therapy. The conversation was moderated by UCSB communication professor Walid Afifi.
