All posts by eelaswad

Heritage in a Global Era

Anthropology/Sociology, Folklore and Proverbs, United Arab Emirates

Heritage in a Global Era: The Integration of Modernity and Tradition in the UAE

by el-Sayed el-Aswad, United Arab Emirates University

As part of the United Arab Emirate’s celebration of International Heritage Day, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) organized a conference held on March 18-19, 2009, entitled “Heritage: From Preservation and Documentation to Promotion and Transmission to Future Generations.” The conference provided a fresh perspective by rethinking the oppositions of modernity/tradition and globalism/localism. A number of leading figures in the field of anthropology, folklore and comparative studies participated in the workshop by presenting papers and engaging in discussions and debates concerning various topics including folk tales, child folklore, falconry, symbolism, worldviews, the preservation of oral literature, and heritage promotion. Intangible heritage, more specifically oral literature, is an important component in understanding not only cultural specificities of societies but also enhancing intercultural relations. The following are some basic questions addressed in the workshop: Does the global culture depict the future as relying primarily on economic, technological, and multi-corporate forces that demand systemization, integration and uniformity? Does the traditional culture conceive the future as contingent essentially on the continuation of heritage, value-systems, religion, rituals, and social-kinship relationships? Continue reading Heritage in a Global Era →

American Grassroots and Democratic Change

Anthropology/Sociology, Election 2008, Ethics

by el-Sayed el-Aswad, United Arab Emirates University

The historic victory of Barack Obama, the first African American president, is the outcome not only of a politically talented and eloquent leader hoping for and acting toward change but also of the relentless will and determination of American grassroots demanding openness, fairness, equality and freedom. American people, with their diverse, rich and dynamic culture, voted for change so as to have not just something new, but to attain liberation and reconstruct fair and peaceful relationships with all people. What is happening inside the most powerful nation in the world must be reflected and enacted in different parts of the globe. People around the world are hoping and expecting that the United States will work to promote peace and a healthy democracy through dialogue, diplomacy and persuasion after eight years of power mismanagement leading to unjustified intervention and irrational wars. Continue reading American Grassroots and Democratic Change →

Art, Religion and History: The Case of Bahrain

Anthropology/Sociology, Art, Bahrain, Folklore and Proverbs, Islamic Rituals


Figure 1. A Replica of the head of Imam Husayn

by El-Sayed el-Aswad
University of Bahrain

Art, in its broad meaning encompassing performance and non-performance forms of expression, plays a significant part in Bahraini imagination and folk culture. The focus here, however, will be on the innovative aspects of Shi‘a vernacular art. Among the Shi‘ti people of Bahrain there has been a shift from traditional or old-fashioned styles of mourning and commemorating the tragic events of ‘Ashura, or the tenth of Muharram (the first month of Islamic calendar in which Imam Husayn, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, was martyred) to a modern way of expression reflected mostly in the art.


Figure 2. Imaginary of al-‘Abbas, the sibling of Imam Husain

During the first ten days of Muharram, colorful forms of calligraphy, iconography, replicas (tashihat), ritual and visual representations are presented and meticulously enacted in exhibitions and in the streets of Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, as well as in most of the villages with Shi‘a majorities. Continue reading Art, Religion and History: The Case of Bahrain →

Inscribing The Body

Art, Egypt


1. John MacIntyre Tattooing in Los Angeles

Inscribing The Body: Tattoos in Traditional and Modern Cultures

by el-Sayed el-Aswad
University of Bahrain

From ancient Egyptian culture, whence comes early evidence of tattooing, to contemporary art, the body has been employed as a living canvas for inscriptions and designs such as those of tattoos embodying symbols, icons, archetypes and mythological or folkloric themes. Tattoos, especially those consisting of lines and dots, have been found on preserved mummies, including that of Amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor at Thebes dating back to the XI Dynasty, 2000 B.C.E. Although amulets are widely used for protective, magical and ascetic purposes (and were predominantly used in ancient Egypt), they are replaceable or not permanent. Notions related to authenticity, ethnicity, gender, identity, sanctity, fertility, femininity, masculinity, class, and aestheticism, to mention a few, are inscribed permanently in various forms on the body.

Though tattooing is prohibited in Islam, because it is viewed as a factor in mutilating, maiming or altering the body’s physical features, local or traditional practices are still existent among the folk in various Muslim societies. Continue reading Inscribing The Body →

Interfaith Understanding: Not Islamo-Fascism

Islam and Christianity, Terrorism Issue

With reference to “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” (the week of October 22-26, 2007), it is alarmingly odd to hear that there persist to be individuals and so-called neoconservatives in university campuses who claim to be more knowledgeable than that the rest of society [and claim the right] to justify their prejudice against Islam and Muslims.

Instead of hate rhetoric aimed at teaching American students how to stigmatize Islam as fascist, the effort should be made to bring Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other religious communities together to increase dialogue, understanding, and peace. We have many examples of those who were misguided by naïve teachers before and after the tragic events of September 11. Continue reading Interfaith Understanding: Not Islamo-Fascism →

Egyptian Cosmology and the Grand Canyon

Archaeology and Antiquities, Egypt


[Isis Temple of the Grand Canyon]

In mid August, this year, I traveled to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I was stunned by the views of spectacular buttes and rises, some of which are named after Egyptian gods, goddesses and kings such as “Isis,” “Osiris,” “Horus,” “Set” and “Cheops” (the Pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Egypt). This exposure triggered substantial questions concerning the relationship between ancient Egyptian culture and Native Americans inhabiting the Grand Canyon recognizing that anthropological and historical studies of archaic cosmologies of ancient societies are still open for further development. I found a very interesting article on the subject of “Ancient Egyptian Treasures in the Grand Canyon: Suppressed Archeological Information and Metaphysical Paradox?” written by Barry McEwen in which he refers to an article written by David Hatcher Childress who reveals deep concern about the Smithsonian Institution cover up of important findings of G.E. Kinkaid and Professor S.A. Jordan. To quote Childress, “Perhaps the most amazing suppression of all is the excavation of an Egyptian tomb by the Smithsonian itself in Arizona. A lengthy front page story of the PHOENIX GAZETTE on 5 April 1909… gave a highly detailed report of the discovery and excavation of a rock-cut vault by an expedition led by a Professor S. A. Jordan of the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian, however, claims to have absolutely no knowledge of the discovery or its discoverers.” Continue reading Egyptian Cosmology and the Grand Canyon →

A Dialogue With Allah

Anthropology/Sociology, Bahrain, Islamic Rituals, Photography


Figure 1: Mosque, women and palm tree.

By el-Sayed el-Aswad

Folk culture provides members of the society with living models in the form of iconic images, key symbols, and root metaphors that enable them to express themselves, and the other as well. Sanctity or religious meaning is bestowed on an object or place for the reason that a religiously significant event (a miracle, wonder or blessing) is associated with it.

At an art exhibition at the College of Art, Bahrain University last year, 2006, I was surprised to see very beautiful and stunning pictures in which a group of women were climbing palm trees (figure 2-5). Recognizing the cultural significance of the palm tree in Arab societies, I decided to interview Waheeda Malullah (figure 6), the artist whose photos show that the climbing of palm trees is not just aimed at the collection of dates commonly consumed in the Arab Gulf countries, but rather at the engagement in spiritual communication with invisible spheres of the cosmos and the achievement of blessing or grace (baraka), among other objectives. Continue reading A Dialogue With Allah →

Post-Asabiyya: Ibn Khaldun and the Discourse of Reform: Part One

Bahrain, Islamic History

[left to right, Burhan Ghalioun, Muhammad ‘Abid al-Jabri, Ibrahim Gholum, Fahmy Jad’an and Abu-Ya’rab al- Marzouqi at University of Bahrain Ibn Khaldun conference in May]

The theme of “reform” in its socio-economic, political, religious, and ethical dimensions has been, for the last five years, a topic of greatest contention and debate in the Arab World. This theme was recently extensively deliberated in a conference entitled “Khaldunian Thought and the Discourse of Reform” in celebration of the 600th anniversary of Ibn Khaldun, the erudite Arab thinker, scholar, politician, and historian of the 14th century. Sponsored by the College of Arts at the University of Bahrain, it hosted renowned contemporary scholars including Muhammad ‘Abid al-Jabri, Burhan Ghalioun, Fahmy Jad’an and Abu-Ya’rab al- Marzouqi, among others. Continue reading Post-Asabiyya: Ibn Khaldun and the Discourse of Reform: Part One →