After 70 years of maintaining the British monarchy’s non-political status, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has raised concerns over how the transfer of power to King Charles III may disrupt the status quo. News@AUC spoke with Chris Barker, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, and Olivier Schouteden, assistant professor in the Department of History, to gain more perspective on this transition. 

What was Queen Elizabeth II’s role in the UK’s political affairs, if any?

Schouteden: Elizabeth II was a constitutional monarch, the embodiment of the nation, and without much more than a ceremonial role. Elizabeth II indeed had the reputation to refrain from intervening in (or even expressing her thoughts publicly about) political affairs.

Barker: The word often used about the queen is “inscrutable.” She was careful not to politicize the monarchy. In his 1867 book The English Constitution, Walter Bagehot distinguishes between dignified and efficient parts of the constitution, arguing that the dignified part is where the power lies and that the efficient part merely uses it. In my own view, that goes too far. And while American small-r republicans will criticize the monarchy, think of the dignity they typically impute to (or require from) their president.

What impact, if any, will this transition have on global politics? 

Schouteden: Through thick and thin, Elizabeth reigned for 70 years — her death leaves a considerable vacuum to fill. This challenge is heightened by the crisis the UK is currently undergoing. Four prime ministers in six years, reflecting a political instability that cannot be understated, an economic crisis fueling popular discontent and social strife, which stem from, among other factors, the combined effects of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. 

On an international and diplomatic level, the UK in a post-Brexit era also struggles to redefine its position within Europe and on a global level. This transition could contribute to further weakening Britain – on a smaller level, some have been quick to notice the losses caused by the slowing down of the economy during national mourning.

Barker: Some countries among the 14 who retain the monarch as their sovereign will take the opportunity of the queen’s death to reconsider the value and meaning of the monarchy. Some may become republics, like Barbados did last year. Expect action on this front in the Caribbean countries anxious about the legacies of slavery and empire.

Will this have any discernible effect on the MENA region and Egypt specifically? 

Schouteden: It is hard to tell so early on. But what about Charles’s position in regard to religion? Charles III seems aware that he will reign over a multicultural, multi-religious society, and this could also mean more openness to different cultures outside of Britain. Yet, there is little indication that his role in this realm will be different from that of Elizabeth II.

How would you describe King Charles’ involvement with politics during Queen Elizabeth’s reign? 

Barker: The commentariat tends to describe Charles as an activist heir, and thus possibly an activist monarch, particularly on issues of importance to him, such as climate change. But Charles said in 2018 that his activism will stop when he takes the throne. The new role requires a new approach, a new restraint, and he has a model to imitate in his mother’s conduct.

Schouteden: Charles has publicly expressed his concerns regarding global warming and support for an ecological transition. He might try to stir the course of the economy in this direction, but it is unclear at this point whether ecological concerns will be given a boost in the UK because of Charles’s passionate claims for a greener world. It is worth noting that during his tenure as Prince of Wales, Charles has been criticized for his lobbying of politicians. Charles is quite savvy and more politically inclined than his mother, but we cannot overplay the impact he could have on political affairs because of the limitations discussed above.

In the past, King Charles has said publicly that if he becomes monarch, he won’t act the same way he did as an heir. Even if this is true, do you think the public’s perception of him will create challenges regardless? 

Schouteden: His earlier opinions [on politics] were expressed in his own name and before his reign, not as part of the royal ideology. We can expect him to reign as Elizabeth II did. What will be demanded of him? To officiate in public ceremonies, to partake in public duties, to represent the UK abroad.

Charles is not held in such high esteem by the citizens of the UK. He is actually less popular than his son William, Prince of Wales (next in line for the throne) and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton. But is there any reason to doubt the British peoples' sympathy for the Crown at large? I am not sure. We know of the dissatisfaction of young British people with the monarchy but this does not indicate a potential for sedition either. 

Barker: Charles is probably the most overexposed heir to any throne in history. The public has had seventy years to form their opinion – apparently, this is a Guinness world record for heirs-apparent. While he may never outgrow those judgments, the question is whether those old judgments will overbalance the public’s reverence for the institution. And, perhaps more important than what he did as heir, is what he will do to prepare his own heir, Prince William, to continue to embody the dignified part of the constitution.

What would the consequences be for King Charles if he is found to be misusing his position? Can you impeach a king?

Barker: You cannot impeach a king; at most, parliaments have used the impeachment power as a tool to act indirectly against a monarch by impeaching royal ministers. However, all the lesson you need about removal from office lies in a name: Charles III inevitably reminds us of Charles I, executed for treason in 1649.

Is there any other information about this topic you would like to share? 

Schouteden: I would conclude by saying that the only true justification for the British Crown (especially the hereditary nature of the title) today is in its impotence! In other words, should Charles III attempt to exert more power than Elizabeth II, he would not only hit an institutional/constitutional wall, he would also probably be the subject of much ire and criticism that could end the monarchy altogether.

Towering in the middle of AUC’s Tahrir Cultural Center (TCC) is a metal sculpture containing intricate shapes made of iron, accompanied by three paintings on a nearby wall. Visual arts major Nour Tawfik ‘22, describes the installation, “Nostalgia is a Dirty Liar…” — which took her a year’s worth of research and creativity to make for her senior project:

“The sculpture represents memories, or a narrative, within space, whereas the paintings depict memories held onto the space,” she said. “This depicts the distortion of memories that occur in an architectural space.”

Her project visualizes the desperation and fear that propels one to hold onto false memories. “More broadly,” she described, “it is a surreal, dystopian illustration of the way in which the subconscious reconstructs memories, making people cling onto false depictions of reality.”

Tawfik’s work is one of 11 multimedia art projects from AUC’s visual arts program on display at the Margo Veillon, Legacy and Future gallery halls at TCC. The exhibition is titled “Liquid Gaze” — a multistage process of looking at or viewing an object described by Shady ElNoshokaty, director of AUC’s visual arts program and curator of the exhibition, in the show’s program.

“This sequence of transformation from one [modality of viewing] to another in moments is what makes the phenomenon of gazing one of the most fundamental human phenomena linked to imagination and creativity,” he wrote.

Be sure to stop by the Margo Veillon, Legacy and Future gallery halls at TCC before June 25 to view all of the 2022 final projects from AUC’s Visual Arts program.

The final projects are an integral part of AUC’s visual arts program, which launched in 2013. Each year, a panel of independent judges evaluates the group show, and ElNoshokaty releases a printed book documenting the creative and production practices showcasing the experience.

“Liquid Gaze” is the first senior project exhibition to be open to the public since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with last year’s show, “(K) for Cannibal” closed to outside viewers.

The projects are unique in that they encompass much more than a simple vision — they also follow a contemporary, experimental methodology with a philosophical reference. In order to reach this deep level of expression, ElNoshokaty has his students conduct one semester of research and another for creating the installations.

The entire process, ElNoshokaty described, is filled with long discussion sessions and ever-shifting goalposts as ideas and concepts evolved.

”The projects started in the fall of 2021, where students developed their individual ideas and conducted visual and knowledge-based research,” he explained. “The latter covered all the theoretical details of the idea, in addition to many other critical and analytical practices that helped develop special creative areas and translate them into theoretical writing for the first part of the project.”

“The research process was incredibly time-consuming, multilayered and complex,” noted Amira ElKouny ‘22, another artist who is displaying her animation work, titled “(IN)DIVIDUAL.” “Every decision had to be well-thought-out before I went along with it, due to the sensitivity of later creating a professional visual arts production based on an intricate research-based project.”

Moreover, ElNoshokaty added, “This group took the most important courses of their majors online due to the pandemic. This project was the first time for many of them to experiment in an actual physical space — which added another layer of pressure.”

Vision from Experience

Inspiration for Tawfik’s iron giant and accompanying paintings first came to her in an art gallery in Athens while viewing an installation by South Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, which allowed visitors an intimate view into the artist’s home. “That sparked my interest in ‘walking through’ memories, which eventually led me to create the installation,” she said.

After choosing her topic, Tawfik dove into studying human memory. “Memories are the foundation of an individual's identity, as they shape and build who a person is, and what they will become,” she said. “They are an integral part of human existence — yet the same memory can be experienced or recalled differently from person to person, or by the same person at different points in time.”

“(IN)DIVIDUAL,” on the other hand, was inspired by a research link visualized in a vivid dream ElKouny had after completing around two years of research on the concept of how our bodies and minds “act and react to spaces they are in, and how the power of authoritative systems affect an individual’s mind and body in moments of fear.”

She describes her installation in the program as a “surreal-morphing experience of fear while trying to escape and survive under authoritarian systems of power.” The work also explores the modern psychotherapeutic theory of the “inner child” and “adult self.”

Lights, Camera, Exhibition

Having just under three months to translate their research into art, the students and ElNoshokaty found themselves hard-pressed for time as opening day approached.

“During the week leading up to the exhibition, I was still finalizing some of the paintings,” Tawfik described. “Finishing a painting is very difficult generally — knowing when it’s done is challenging, because you can always add more layers. I was working on them until the last day.”

ElKouny shared a similar experience. “The week before the exhibition's opening was extremely exhausting and painful,” she said. “I had to re-do a whole part of the drawings, scanning process, video and sound editing process because it did not follow the rhythm of the whole piece — it wouldn't have been as effective as it is now.”

Despite the challenges, all three described the overall experience as extremely instrumental in their personal and professional development.

“Preparing for the grad show is an intense educational experience, not only for my students but also for me,” ElNoshokaty said.

“It was enlightening in a way,” ElKouny added. “I learned a lot about myself, my thought process, actions and creative process.”

“It made me think outside the box and really find out what ideas I’m passionate about,” Tawfik said. “This was also my first time creating a sculpture, so I learned that I can express myself effectively not just through paintings, but also through sculptures and installations.”

With their installations currently housed at the galleries and unalterable, Tawfik and ElKouny feel a mixture of pride and relief. “I can’t believe we were able to achieve this and be part of this exhibition,” ElKouny said.

“Thankfully, everything came together in the end,” Tawfik said. “Now that it is out of my hands to fix anything, I like it a lot more as it stands.”

Years of research have led Mariam Ayad ‘94, associate professor in AUC’s Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology, down a trail of letters in Coptic dating back to the 6th-8th centuries AD [Byzantine Era up to the Arab conquest of Egypt], providing her a unique view into the everyday lives of women.

Reaching from Upper Egypt to the Delta and written on papyrus and broken pieces of pottery or stone, known as ostraka, these letters were written or dictated by women between the sixth and eighth centuries.

During a presentation on her research for the Yale Egyptology Lecture Series, Ayad explained that the letters are one of the largest corpora of surviving text from this time period. 

“Unlike the monastic writings, liturgical texts and psalms from this period, these letters are unfiltered and authentic,” Ayad said, explaining that many historical and religious texts tend to be slanted or contain propaganda. She also noted that religious literature often portrays women in one of two ways — an “Eve” or a “Mary” — that is, a temptress or a virgin.

The letters, however, provide a more balanced picture of these women, with the content of each letter varying greatly. Some of the women request prayers from holy men for healing themselves or family members, Ayad explained. “Others were more assertive, demanding the resolution of a business dispute or the delivery of items such as grain, wine, shawls and even books.”

The broad subjects covered within letters make one thing clear, according to Ayad. “Women are different, and treating them as a monolithic group is a mistake.”

Ayad now focuses on the possible implications behind these messages. “The more I got into the letters, the more I became fascinated with how these women expressed themselves, not just by what they expressed,” she recalled.

She cites numerous rhetorical devices contained within the letters and great variance in verb tenses. In some letters, a strong case is built before the appearance of a request, while others use the imperative, or command form of a verb, to get their point across. 

According to Ayad, these contrasting avenues of communication could point to differences in social status, literacy and even assertiveness among these women.

However, she stressed that drawing conclusions from these letters is often challenging, as the exact subject of a letter can be obscure and the letters themselves are often fragmented. Ayad likened the interpretation of these letters to reading a stranger’s text messages — some elements will surely be vague.

Additionally, “It's very hard to find good scholarship on aspects of social and daily life for the Coptic period in general, not just on women,” she said.

Despite the uncertainty, Ayad continues to meticulously piece together this puzzle with devotion and an open mind. 

Time at AUC

The summer before her freshman year at AUC, Ayad had no idea what she wanted to study. On vacation at the beach, while flipping through the University’s course catalog, she found herself drawn to the courses on Ancient Egypt.

One year later, she was completely immersed in Egyptology at AUC, declaring it her major and dedicating herself to the rigorous program under the tutelage of Fayza Haikal, professor emerita of Egyptology.

Her success in her undergraduate work allotted her a fellowship while pursuing her master’s at the University of Toronto, as she could sight-read hieratic — a cursive ancient Egyptian script used on papyrus for literature, letters and other documentary texts — which was an uncommon skill among her fellow students.

“My time at AUC, and specifically my classes with Fayza, really benefited me in this regard,” she said.

Now the director of the MA program of Egyptology/Coptology at AUC, Ayad teaches courses on Egyptian religion, language (including hieroglyphs, hieratic, and Coptic), ancient Egyptian women and Egypt during the First Millennium BC, among others.

Some aspects of her research on women’s Coptic letters will appear in a volume to be published by AUC Press in 2023.

Her edited volume on Women in Ancient Egypt: Revisiting Power, Agency, and Autonomy, and Agency is currently in press and will appear later this summer.

Iconic photographer Van-Leo (né Levon Boyadjian) will long be remembered as a premier figure of 20th-century Egypt. In celebration of what would have been his 100^th birthday in November 2021, AUC’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) showcased his work in an exhibition and is now available in a 3D format, allowing online and offline visitors alike to see his visual legacy for themselves. 

Made possible through an AUC collaboration with the American Research Center in Egypt, the digital display is a pioneering initiative at AUC in harnessing tech for cultural purposes and widening viewership.

Van-Leo’s portraits of Egypt’s public figures over the course of several decades, from star actors Omar Sharif, Mervat Amin, and Rushdie Abaza to cultural figures Taha Hussein and Youssef El-Sibai, as well as politicians, will long be celebrated. 

Three years prior to his death, in 1998, Van-Leo bequeathed his collection to the University, where it has since been housed at the RBSCL. 

The exhibition featured rare photographs of Van-Leo atop the Cheops Pyramid, a selection of his black-and-white tinted portraits showcasing a plethora of Cairo’s vibrant community through to the 1980s, as well as numerous self-portraits where he disguised himself to create dramatic and eccentric looks, including one with a Marie Antoinette bust, two early hand-tinted self-portraits, and images of him dressed as a police or military officer and in Hollywood-style attire.

Find more pictures from the legacy exhibition here.

Having the exhibition available in 3D brought it to life for online audiences, marking another milestone in the library's journey to digitize its collections, in order to share them with the world.

“We want our collections to go out to the public worldwide, in ways that they can access. Even before COVID, it was our choice and desire to [embark on this project]. It just makes sense that, as a pioneering institution, we offer technology blended with knowledge,” says Ola Seif, the RBSCL's curator of Photography and Cinema Collections. 

Seif also mentions how the Future Gallery’s Van-Leo exhibition has seen visitors flock to Cairo solely for the occasion, including some of the seminal photographer’s personal friends. There have also been a few high-profile visitors, including diplomats. 

Alongside their role in preserving Van-Leo’s collection, the RBSCL is also the curator, copywriter, and owner of the exhibition.

“We are trying to promote this collection to the community, whether they are researchers or art fans,” says Heba Sayed, the Planning, Assessment and Business Development director of Libraries and Learning Technology at AUC.

The Rare Books Library plays a huge role in preserving and archiving varied collections. Some of its notable work includes mapping images of monuments for a digital collection of architectural historian’s K.A.C. Creswell Islamic architecture photography, made possible in partnership with the Barakat Trust.

The library has hosted much of Creswell’s collection for decades, and the project’s partners in digitizing the work also include, alongside AUC, The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the Berenson Library at the Harvard University Center for the Study of Italian Renaissance at Villa I Tatti, and the Fine Arts Library at Harvard University.

The library’s rich online collection also includes clippings from the early 20th-century Egyptian English-language magazine The Sphinx, a collection of other historical magazines and maps, prominent architect Ramses Wissa Wassef’s drawings, 19^th century postcards and much more. The online collection furthers the welfare of research work and allows audiences globally access to the library’s rarely seen collections.

“What we're doing [at the library] is not just collecting physical material, which of course is the basis for so much heritage research, but we are also generating a new kind of knowledge and digital material. Oral history is one area where we're building collections; these recordings are done in purely digital form, either by our own team holding the interviews or having other projects and outsiders donate… Born digital collections is also an area of photography where we’ve started to make inroads,” explains Stephen Urgola, University Archivist and Interim Associate Dean of the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

Former TIME magazine photographer Barry Iverson, a friend of Van-Leo’s and authority on his work, was invited for an online interview at the Future Gallery to discuss the life and work of the seminal portraitist.

“His boom years were the 1940s…because these were the war years, you had the military officers, the entertainers, the celebrities…these were also Van-Leo’s most creative years,” explains Iverson, noting how visiting the photographer’s studio once a year was custom among many of Cairo’s most notable figures.

Although the live exhibition date has passed, it is slated to relaunch at the New Cairo campus.

Learn more about the Van-Leo collection here.

A project created by AUC’s graphic design program and spearheaded this semester by  Bahia Shehab (MA ’09), professor of practice and founder of the program, has taken students out of the classroom and into the treasure trove known as the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

The project was assigned to students in Shehab’s History of Arab Graphic Design course, which has been around for a decade but recently underwent reshaping after the release of the award-winning book, A History of Arab Graphic Design (AUC Press, 2020) by Shehab and  Haytham Nawar, associate professor and chair of the Department of Arts. Using physical and digital archives of current and former Egyptian magazines, each student examined the history of a particular publication by analyzing its evolving design.

Shehab did not orchestrate the project alone. Working alongside Eman Morgan, assistant director for special projects, electronic media and professional development at the Rare Books and Special Collections Library, the two carefully crafted the objectives and schedule during Summer 2021.

At the library, Morgan guided students through the archives, showing them different designs, layouts and typography starting from the late nineteenth century until the present.

“The students developed their analytical skills to compare designs and fonts before and after the introduction of computers and advanced software,” Morgan explained.

“Through visual history, the students learned so much on many different levels and in different ways,” Shehab recalled. “It has been a very exciting exercise for me to witness how curious they become.”

Overall, the students seemed to enjoy working in the library too. Hussein Mostafa, a graphic design junior, was initially apprehensive when faced with a table in the library stacked with old books. But after adjusting, he reported enjoying the unique experience.

“It was nice. It felt as if I was researching back in the 1980s or 1990s,” said Mostafa. “We’re used to using Wikipedia or the AUC library online.” 

For his project, Mostafa studied Bint al-Nil, or Daughter of the Nile, a journal that gave him a window into the mid-19th century Egyptian feminist community and the life of magazine founder Doria Shafik. “Something that inspired me was that when a lot of magazines stopped publishing when things got harsh because of war or a pandemic, Doria Shafik didn’t,” he said, describing her move as a major social political statement.

Rana El Shaer, a graphic design senior who went through the visual history of the magazine Kawakeb, admitted that she had never set foot in this part of the library during her years at AUC.

“I always saw the elevator that leads to the third floor and thought, ‘Ooh, interesting.’ I didn't realize there was this whole extra part in the library,” she said.

El Shaer said it felt good to contribute to an archive that will keep “growing and growing.” She noted her own surprise upon learning that Kawakeb published horoscope readings –– a concept she thought had only gained popularity in recent years.

Shehab was deeply impressed by the work of her students on the project –– so much so that she organized an event that took place on December 13 at AUC’s Tahrir Cultural Center, during which nine of her students presented their findings.

 “We decided to invite the editors in chief and designers of these magazines and newspapers. Some are well-established, like Al-Ahram, which has been running for more than 120 years,” she added. 

Nada ElKhadem tackled Al-Ahram, Egypt’s largest and most widely circulated newspaper. While she did not physically go to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library to conduct her research, she used the library’s online archives to sift through thousands of editions. “I had to dig deep, so it was really nice to have every single edition provided for me online.”

What set this project apart from the others ElKhadem has done under her major was the sheer amount of learning involved, as opposed to creating.

“As you go through the project, you're learning about history and how Al-Ahram evolved as an important publication in the country,” she said. “Exploring the different mediums and the influence behind it all was life changing.”

Shehab and Morgan are optimistic that this project will inspire other students and faculty at AUC to make use of the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

“The Rare Books and Special Collections Library holds  rich and versatile collections — not only books, magazines, maps and photographs, but also artifacts and paintings from prominent artists and architects like Margo Veillon, Van Leo, Hassan Fathy and many others," Morgan said, indicating that the collections are capable of inspiring students from all disciplines.

She added that the library also conducts tours that are tailored to the special interests of a class and curates exhibitions to display its hidden treasures and the work of AUC students.

Morgan hopes that AUCians and researchers worldwide continue to make use of the  Rare Books and Special Collections digital library, which is open to all.

Shehab shares this sentiment, describing the moment when the students first entered the archives, many for the first time, as special. “It's very cute how they start taking out their cameras right away,” she said. "They became excited about the archive, seeing what a treasure we have and starting to utilize it. To me, this is the most precious thing.”

Watch a special report on the Rare Books and Special Collections Library from Alhurra here.

___

Photos courtesy of Eman Morgan and Bahia Shehab

Looking for a good book to curl up with next to the Christmas tree? Or looking for the perfect gift for your family and friends?

AUC Press and Bookstores have prepared the 2021 holiday picks, and there is something there for everyone in the family. You can order these books and many more to be delivered to your doorsteps anywhere in Egypt.

Fiction:

A Recipe for Daphne: A Novel

By Nektaria Anastasiadou

A heartwarming romantic novel that takes place in Istanbul where Daphne, the American-born traveler, arrives in the city in search of her roots only to find herself in a crossroad of love.

I Do Not Sleep: A Novel

By Ihsan Abdel Kouddos

A story of betrayal, desire, and family drama, written by a giant of Egyptian popular fiction, available in English for the first time. Nadia, the 16 year old raised by her father, comes home from boarding school to find her father has remarried and she conspires to end this marriage at all costs! 

Gift Books:

Bilhana: Wholefood Recipes from Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco 

By Yasmine and Shewekar Elgharably

Bilhana brings a contemporary twist to traditional Middle Eastern dishes with the use of healthy cooking methods and the freshest ingredients the region has to offer. From stews to sweets, there is something enticing here for every type of cook.

On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel

Andrew Humphreys

A colorfully illustrated celebration of the classic era of cruising on the Nile with a sense of romance that positively oozes from every page. 

Rooted in the Body: Arabic Metaphor and Morphology

By Lisa White, Illustrated by Mahmoud Shaltout

Learn Arabic in a fun, new way with this unique comic-illustrated exploration of the rich vocabulary derived from body parts in Arabic.

For Children:

The Boy and the Boy King

By George H. Lewis and Arthur D. Lubow

This book offers a tantalizing glimpse of the adventures of Arthur and his imaginary friend, Bun-Bun. Together they travel through the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum to another time and place and befriend the lonely boy king, Tutankhamun.

An exhibition honoring the legendary photographer Van Leo is taking place now through February 20, 2022 at the Future Gallery in AUC Tahrir Square. 

Photos courtesy of Mohamed Ashour

Since last week, AUC Tahrir Square has been abuzz with the excitement of the 43rd edition of the Cairo International Film Festival. This year is the first official AUC-CIFF collaboration that will present students and festival goers with a central hub for screenings, workshops and other activities.

“I'm thrilled with this collaboration,” said Mervat Abou Oaf ‘88 ‘02, professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and AUC’s academic consultant for the festival. “It's something that we've been working for and trying to make happen for a long time.”

In her role as academic consultant, Abou Oaf is ensuring that there are plenty of learning opportunities for AUC students throughout the festival. Through her work, students from all disciplines can engage in experiential, community-based learning by taking part in daylong workshops that center around topics such as acting, script writing or music, or serving as official volunteers at the festival itself.

“Everything that they do is education,” she said. “They are being trained by experts in each field.”

The volunteer students will be responsible for organizing press releases for the festival, leading tours, interviewing celebrities and other tasks that all give students a hands-on experience and make them share the responsibility for the festival’s success. Following their participation, these students will be evaluated and given official certificates based on their contributions.

Abou Oaf is very confident in AUC’s ability to help run the festival. “We have the capacity, we have the students, we have the passion, we have the know-how,” she said. “Now, we also have the opportunity to display this.”

She also expressed her appreciation for AUC President Ahmad Dallal’s support of the partnership. “It is such a relief that [Dallal] is for this kind of liberal arts approach,” she said, commending Dallal's "enthusiasm and involvement."

CIFF is the oldest film festival in the Middle East and is given category "A" status by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. "This classification is given to only 14 film festivals worldwide," said Sara Bissada, CIFF’s deputy executive director.

The University had previously screened CIFF films during the festival at Ewart Memorial Hall in 1982, according to Bissada. This year, however, is different, as the Tahrir Square campus will play a more central role in the festival with its Tahrir Cultural Center. “This collaboration is actually very important – not only for the festival but for the students as well,” Bissada said.

Orientation for the students who will work at the festival took place last week, Bissada added. "They are very excited and interested,” she said. “They have a lot of questions, and I think that maybe next year, we are going to see them as heads of departments and leading managers in the festival.”

 “[The volunteers] are so enthusiastic,” About Oaf remarked. “They were all here on time at nine sharp on Friday. I was very impressed.”

Recruiting for volunteers was handled by AUC’s Theater and Film Club (TFC), where Abou Oaf serves as the club’s faculty adviser. While roughly 150 students applied, just 48 were accepted as volunteers and underwent extensive training, reported AUC student Salma Keshk, economics senior and TFC president. 

“We want to bring the student body closer to the industry as a whole,” Keshk explained. “We're want to build connections hope that this agreement continues.”

Salma Elshamandy, integrated marketing communication senior and TFC vice president, expressed the club’s excitement about the partnership. “We see a lot of potential from this collaboration, and I believe that we can provide a lot,” she said. “The students are very talented, proactive and energetic, and I think they are a great addition to the festival.”

Egyptian actor Tarek El Ebiary ‘12, who is the co-founder of TFC, thanked the festival organizers for their work in making this partnership come true. “I would also like to say Allah yerham Dr. Mahmoud El-Lozy, who was our first adviser for the club.” El-Lozy passed away in mid-November, a loss that has been deeply mourned by the AUC community.

El Ebiary mentioned that when he was an undergraduate at the University, he often received support from its community members. “I’m trying now, every year, to support [the students] if they need me. Inshallah, we will make AUC proud.”

CIFF begins on Friday, November 26 and runs through December 5. The festival’s theme this year is Diversity and Inclusion, and around 80 films will be screened over 10 days.

An exhibition honoring graphic design legend Paul Rand's work and legacy in the Middle East is happening now through November 25 at the Sharjah Art Gallery in AUC New Cairo.

From left to right:
IBM Rebus Production Art, Marker sketch
International Business Machines Corporation. 1981. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.
And Daniel Lewandowski.

Rebus Poster. Re-issued with bottom copy. 
International Business Machines Corporation. 1982. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.

Hand Cut Rebus Expolartions. 
International Business Machines Corporation. 1987. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.

From left to right:
Haytham Nawar, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the Arts. 
President Ahmad Dallal. 
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.

Covers of Direction Magazine.
Images Courtesy Daniel Lewandowski.

Prejudices: A Selection by H.L.Mencken. Book Jacket. 1958. 
Image Courtesy Penguin Random House LLC.

From left to right:
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
President Ahmad Dallal. 

Poster of the Paul Rand: The Idealist/Realist Exhibition.

Paul Rand: The Idealist/Realist Exhibition. Hall 2 at the Sharjah Art Gallery. 

From left to right:
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.
President Ahmad Dallal. 
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
Haytham Nawar, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the Arts.

The Origins and History of Consciousness by Neumann. Book Jacket. 1964. 
​​​​​Image Courtesy Penguin Random House LLC.

As of July 2021, John Meloy became AUC’s new dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He earned his PhD in history from the University of Chicago and has a track record of academic achievements, including a record of research and publication in Islamic history, with a specialization in the Mamluk era.  

Furthermore, previously serving as chair of the Department of History and Archeology, associate dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and director of the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut, Meloy brings with him years of exemplary higher education experience to AUC.

Why did you decide to join AUC?

There was a convergence of factors, but mainly my decision was driven by the opportunity to contribute to AUC and to live in Egypt again.

You have extensive experience at higher education institutions, such as AUB, along with your research expertise. How will you build on this experience during your time at AUC?

I believe my experience in Beirut will help in my work here in Cairo, but I also recognize that each of these two institutions is unique. The real challenge, I think, is to be creative and collaborative in achieving our goals.

What is your vision as dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences?

My vision reflects the school’s vision statement: excellence in teaching, research and creative expression. Given the diversity of disciplines within HUSS, we are well-positioned to serve as the nexus of the local and the global in manifold ways.

What is your plan to further strengthen the visibility of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences?

Strengthening visibility is a never-ending project, achieved through publicizing faculty and student achievements and, whenever possible, extending what we do to the broader public. 

The critical skills our students acquire from our various disciplines give them the means to continue learning after they graduate. It’s not so much teaching them what they need to know now, but rather teaching them how to figure out what they need to know and giving them the skills and traits to teach themselves: sharpening critical thinking, cultivating curiosity and creativity, fostering individual and social awareness, and strengthening effective communication. 

Lifelong learning is the only way to prepare for the future.

What are your priorities during this coming year?

My priority are the people in HUSS. 

I hope to ensure that the faculty have the support they need to achieve their scholarly objectives, the students are getting the most out of their education, and our curriculum gives them the best possible springboard for their success.

Some fun facts: 

Favorite book?

Favorite of all time?  That’s a tough one. I’m usually pleased with whatever I’m reading now, which tends to be different things at once.  Vikram Seth’s Two Lives, which I found on an open bookshelf in the faculty housing, offers an intimate portrait of two quite different lives joined in the middle of the 20th century. 

Since coming to Cairo, after not living here for a long time, I’ve become interested in the extensive growth of the city, so I’ve turned to David Sims’ Egypt’s Desert Dreams, and Yahia Shawkat’s Egypt’s Housing Crisis is next on the list. A shoutout to AUC Press!

Favorite music?

My tastes are eclectic: Bach, Brubeck, BB King, the Beatles. Other letters of the alphabet are acceptable too.

Favorite activity? 

 Swimming.

Favorite Egyptian food?

 I wouldn’t mind eating a ta’amiya sandwich now.

Your hero/role model?

 All the great teachers I’ve had.

Greatest inspiration?

People who are great researchers and teachers.

Something not a lot of people know about you? 

A memorable spring break in college was spending a week on a Greyhound bus riding across the United States.

Best accomplishment?

Maybe not the best, but an accomplishment, is that Greyhound bus riding across the United States.

What problem do you wish to solve in the world? 

Wow. Where to start?