Latest Past Events

Revisiting the Myth of the Suez Canal: French Writers and Travelers in Egypt around 1869

La Maison Française (Columbia) Buell Hall, 515 West 116th Street, New York City

Join the Middle East Institute for a guest lecture with Sarga Moussa. The opening of the Suez Canal (1869) was celebrated as a world event (thousands of personalities from both ‘West’ and ‘East’ were invited by the Khedive Ismaïl), but the meaning of this event remains a subject of debate. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to literary and cultural…

Migrants, criminals and spies in the Italian Mediterranean

New York City

Joseph Viscomi (New York University): Migrants, criminals and spies in the Italian Mediterranean Moderator: Konstantina Zanou (Columbia University) In what ways do the movements of subversive Italians during the twentieth century challenge historiography of the modern Mediterranean? What socio-political constellations emerge from their itineraries? Which boundaries are inverted or reinforced? I explore these questions through the microhistories of Italians in Egypt who evaded the law –or manipulated…