On Sunday, October 12, 2014 the 14th annual Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture featured Dr. Lila Abu-Lughod, theJoseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science in Anthropology at Columbia University.
Professor Abu-Lughod reflected on the passionate and polarized response to her attempt to intervene in debates about the “Muslimwoman” and her rights through her recent book, Do Muslim Women Need Saving? Intended to present alternatives to the mediated public production of the oppressed Middle Eastern or Muslim woman, based on years of research in the Arab world, the work was greeted with silence by the targeted US liberal public. Yet two marginalized publics took up the book—one with affronted rage and the other with touching personal affirmation. What do these responses reveal about the deployment of women’s rights in international politics today?
The Mikhail Endowment Fund was originally established through a donation from the Mikhail family to honor the work and contributions of Maryse Mikhail and her involvement in educational, philanthropic and interfaith organizations. The main purpose of the fund is to support an annual lecture dealing with Arab culture, history, politics, economics, and other aspects of life in the Middle East including issues of peace and justice.
We hope you will consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the fund to help ensure the continuation of the lecture series for years to come. Any amount is welcome, and checks should be made payable to the UT Foundation with a notation of the Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Endowment Fund (#1301-005). Gifts may be sent to The University of Toledo Foundation, P.O. Box 586, Toledo, OH 43697-0586. Secure online gifts may be made at give2UT.utoledo.edu.
Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture 