Mejdulene B. Shomali: Between Banat: Queer Arab Critique and Transnational Arab Archives

The Humanities Forum presents Mejdulene B. Shomali, assistant professor, Department of Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies at UMBC, who will speak on Between Banat: Queer Arab Critique and Transnational Arab Archives.

This talk examines homoeroticism and nonnormative sexualities between Arab women in transnational Arab literature, art, and film. It considers women, femmes, and nonbinary people who disrupt stereotypical and Orientalist representations of the “Arab woman” and reveals the ways heteropatriarchy and nationalism foreclose queer Arab futures. It attends to Arab women’s narration of desire and identity to substantiate queer Arab histories. Mejdulene Shomali argues that prioritizing transnational collectivity over politics of authenticity, respectability, and inclusion can help lead toward queer freedom.

Mejdulene Bernard Shomali is a queer Palestinian poet and Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at UMBC. She received a PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan in 2015 and an MA in Women’s Studies from the Ohio State University in 2009. Her work focuses on femininity, queerness, and transnational Arab cultural production.

Admission is free. Masking is strongly encouraged.

This event will also be streamed on Webex.

UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and visitors. If you would like to request a disability-based accommodation on site or have questions about this event or its location, please contact us at dreshercenter@umbc.edu.

This lecture is organized by the Dresher Center for the Humanities.