Public
Engagement

The 2011 images from Tahrir Square are indelible: hundreds of thousands of people ushering in a new political era in the Middle East. Or so it seemed. Today, true democracy in Egypt is a distant dream. Over the last decade, anthropologist Jessica Winegar has witnessed the transformations up close. One of our foremost experts on Egypt, the Northwestern University professor shares her analysis of the Arab Spring and its surprisingly personal aftermath.

This talk examines how humor in 21st-century Egypt is both a form of subversive political action and a mode of hegemonic cultural expression that reinforces certain social hierarchies.

Examples from before, during, and after the 2011 uprising demonstrate how important humor is in understanding the revolution and how it faltered.

Faculty from Northwestern University's Middle East and North African Studies (MENA) Program gathered at the Evanston Public Library on April 13, 2015, to deconstruct four myths about the Middle East. Attached are some excerpts from the presentation.

Myth #2: "The Men Oppress Their Women" - Jessica Winegar (Anthropology): (3:06)

Dr. Jessica Winegar, anthropology professor at Northwestern University, joins Good Day Chicago to talk about the resignation of Mike Polisky.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Jessica Winegar gives a slide talk for "Five Takes on Tseng Kwong Chi," the opening celebration of the exhibit "Tseng Kwong Chi - Performing for the Camera."

October 1, 2016

Block Museum of Art