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Folkarts in Contemporary Pop Culture
Paintings by English book illustrator Arthur Rackham Films by Japanese artist Hayao Miyazaki Fantasy novels and short stories around the world Illustrations by American book designer Thomas Canty Arabic folk hero Antar. Film on YouTube here (in Arabic). Margari Aziza wrote about her discovery of Antar. Egyptian feminist working group, Women & Memory Forum, published…
Herbal Teas (Tisanes)
I like to blend my own teas during the cold weather months. This year I’ve made the following three caffeine-free blends. I’d love to hear of other favorites to try next year! Chamomile Ingredients: Chamomile Flowers Fennel Seeds Lemon Peel Hint of Basil Leaf Dash of Licorice Root Chai Ingredients: Red Rooibos Ginger Root Cardamom…

Embroidery and the Region
In this post, I’m delighted to introduce you to some embroidery textile arts happening today and some of the people who are currently at work in these fields in the SWANA/MENA region (Southwest Asia and North Africa/Middle East and North Africa). We’ll be looking at Palestinian, Egyptian, and Moroccan examples, in that order. This post…
Al-Buraq the Heavenly Steed
Al-Buraq (ِِالبراق) is a supernatural creature in Islamic tradition that travels extremely rapidly. It appears in the context of the Prophet Muhammad’s miraculous night journey (Arabic Isra’ إسراء) from Mecca to Jerusalem, followed by the ascension (Ar. Mi‘raj معراج). This journey occurred on the 27th of Rajab in the Islamic calendar, and is remembered among…
Israel-Palestine Sources
This is a list of recommendations for people (especially Americans) who want to educate themselves about the history and politics of Israel-Palestine. 1. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which raised controversy for his description of the situation as apartheid. 2. Classic Fateful Triangle by Noam Chomsky. It can be dense due…

Juha’s Wife
Using gender to define the core of what makes us human creates huge contradictions: it requires us to define men and women as fundamentally different from each other and yet also as full human beings. – Johnson, The Gender Knot, 58 Just as women appear in limited and occasional historical events universally, so the popular…