‘What do they know of England who only England Know?’ - Rudyard Kipling
Over their long cultural relationship, Eastern and Western countries and communities have mis/represented each other when imagining an 'Orient' and an 'Occident', often without first-hand experience. Using books from The Portico Library's 'Voyages and Travels' collection, Professor Zahia Smail Salhi (now Tom Werner-Powell) will discuss some of the relational dynamics between these cultures and how they perceived each other from very early encounters in the 18th century all the way to the present day.
We regret to announce that Prof Zahia Smail Salhi is no longer able to attend this event. However, Dr Tom Woerner-Powell is a colleague of Prof Salhi at The University of Manchester and has been personally recommended to deliver the talk in her place. The guiding themes of the talk will remain the same as advertised and books from The Portico’s collection will be displayed for attendees to view. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We look forward to welcoming you to this first collaboration between MACFEST and The Portico Library.
Tom Woerner-Powell's interdisciplinary research examines religio-political dimensions of Islamic thought and Muslim experience in colonial and post-colonial contexts, exploring confluences and boundaries between ostensibly religious and political practices, ideas, and frames of reference.
This event is part of the MACFEST Muslim Arts and Culture Festival.