TITLE: Taha Husayn's Intellectual Legacy in the Arab World
SPEAKER: Dr. Abd al-Sattar Halwagy, Dr. Halim Barakat, Dr. Samy Soliman, Dr. Ahmad Shams al-Din Haggagy
EVENT DATE: 03/23/2010
RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes
DESCRIPTION:
Egyptian writer and scholar Taha Husayn (1889-1973) devoted his life to intellectual freedom and the introduction of Western learning into his country. His body of work, which focused on Islamic and Arabic history and literature, had a profound effect on scholarship in the Arab and non-Arab world. Scholars lecture on various aspects of Husayn's writings including his autobiography and the themes of Islamiyyat (Islamic Studies) and Arab enlightenment in Husayn's writings. Also discussed is Husayn as a pioneer in the discourse between the old and new Arab world.
Speaker Biography: Dr. Abd al-Sattar Halwagy is a distinguished professor of humanities at Cairo University in Egypt. He received his bachelor's in Arabic language and literature from Cairo University as well as a general diploma and special diploma in education. He received his master's at the University of London and his doctorate at Cairo University.
Speaker Biography: Dr. Halim Barakat is a novelist and sociologist. He received his bachelor's and master's in sociology from the American University in Beirut and earned his doctorate in social psychology from the University of Michigan. He is the author of numerous books and articles and formerly taught at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he retired.
Speaker Biography: Dr. Samy Soliman is part of Cairo University's Faculty of Arts. He received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the Arabic Department at Cairo University. He formerly taught in Germany as part of an exchange program and taught in Japan as well. He has published four books and co-authored several others.
Speaker Biography: Dr. Ahmad Shams al-Din Haggagy is part of Cairo University's Faculty of Arts. He is an Egyptian novelist and folklorist receiving his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the Arabic Department at Cairo University. He has previously taught at the American University in Cairo, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Utah. He has published numerous books and articles.
