Arabic Diwan is a gathering of Arabic students who are in the Arabic program, where they speak the language and learn about the culture in a relaxed environ­ment with our Fulbright teaching assistant. Students from all Arabic language levels are encouraged to attend. Also, we extend the invitation to the Arabic speaking students at the English Center. 

For more information please contact Fatima Alaiwi, fatima_bh(at)msn.com.

Author: Aisha Saeed

The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.

Presented by Farha Abbasi, MSU assistant professor of Psychiatry.

Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt.

Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal--especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.

 

Join your fellow Indian and South Asian language learners for Chai and Chat. Practice speaking the language you're learning in a relaxed environment.

A rebellious Saudi girl enters a Koran recitation competition..

First Saudi-Arabian-produced film ever to be directed by a woman (Haifaa Al-Mansour. Arabic with English subtitles.

Film Screening and Discussion by Dr. Jason Merrill

Guest: Dr. Farha Abbasi, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, MSU

Arabic Diwan is a gathering of Arabic students who are in the Arabic program, where they speak the language and learn about the culture in a relaxed environment with our Fulbright teaching assistant. Students from all Arabic language levels are encouraged to attend. Also, we extend the invitation to the Arabic speaking students at the English Center.

Very well regarded 2016 animated film tells the story of a school bully who picked on a deaf girl in his class and later tries to make up for what he did. 

Lecture by Alexander Bennett (Kansai University)

Miyamoto Musashi (1582-1645) is the most celebrated samurai swordsman of all time, yet details of his life remain shrouded in mystery....

An entire industry has grown up around Musashi over the centuries. This remails very much alive in Japan today. This talk will examine the life of Miyamoto Musashi, the many myths that surround his exploits, and whether he truly deserves the iconic status he has today.

Dr. Xuhui Wang is an Associate Professor with the Department of Sociology & Survey Research Center of Chinese Ethnic Minorities at Minzu University of China

This talk is part of the Anthropology Working Paper Series. Since 1949, China's compressed modernization and rural-urban institutional divide not only spawned many social issues such as tens of millions of migrant workers and left-behind children, but also largely cemented the marginalized, backward or even powerless images of rural China and peasants. In the current situation of new technologies and rural revitalization strategy, we are wondering whether and how to achieve endogenous development relying on technical traditions in rural China. Xinhua village named Home of Silversmiths, a Bai People's traditional village in southwestern China, gradually formed a supermarket with annual sales of more than 300 million dollars in recent decades. We will explore why most villagers could get involved, benefit from this rural silverware industry and maintain a good market order. Further, we will discuss how the state and local society shaped the market structure and development path.

 

Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and College of Social Science