For years Mamie Künstler, ninety-three-years-old, as clever and glamorous as ever, has lived happily in her bungalow in Venice, California with her inscrutable housekeeper and her gigantic St. Bernard dog. Their tranquility is upended when Mamie’s grandson, Julian, arrives from New York City. Like many a twenty-something, he has come to seek his fortune in...
“Patterns of Anomaly in African Ivories” Abstract: This lecture takes up questions in African Medieval to Early Modern ivory imagery and sources framed in part around a set of seemingly anomalous motifs that address how power and ivory have mutually shaped each other both in Africa (particularly Nigeria) and in European contexts. Among the works taken...
With the rise of digital media, the ‘death of the book’ has been widely discussed. But the physical object itself persists. Here, through the lens of materiality and objects, Barbara Mann tells a history of modern Jewish literature, from novels and poetry to graphic novels and artist’s books, offering a new frame for understanding how...
a panel discussion organized by Professor Ioanna Kakoulli (Acting Director, UCLA SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture) April 6-7, 2024 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. PST 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. EET (Cyprus/Greece) 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. CET (Central Europe) via Zoom RSVP here: https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpcuGppzgtG9MXuDP_KRmVSgGN_KqFrSMP#/registration It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of...
“Love's Labour and the Angelic Beloved: Voices from Cypriot Renaissance Poetry” Lecture by Irene Papadaki University of Cyprus on the occasion of National Poetry Month With exclusive poetry readings by singer-songwriter, Alkinoos Ioannidis April 13, 2024 10:00am RSVP: https://bit.ly/3Hw5duK The reception of Italian lyrical poetry in Cyprus during the time of Venetian rule (1489-1571) yielded...
Gryphon Trio is firmly established as one of the world’s preeminent piano trios. For more than 25 years, it has earned acclaim for and impressed international audiences with its highly refined, dynamic, and memorable performances. The Trio’s repertoire ranges from traditional to contemporary, and from European classicism to modern-day multimedia. It is committed to redefining...
Abstract: The ideal of "death for the fatherland" (Pro patria mori) may seem to be an invariable reality of human society, from Sparta and Athens to today's wars. In fact, it is a political imaginary whose periodization can be traced. Ernst Kantorowicz, in a famous article published in 1951, proposed an analysis of this problem....
Since the early 2000s, Poland has experienced a remarkable Jewish revival, largely driven by non-Jewish Poles with a passionate new interest in all things Jewish. Klezmer music, Jewish-style restaurants, kosher vodka, and festivals of Jewish culture have become popular, while new museums, memorials, Jewish studies programs, and Holocaust research centers reflect soul-searching about Polish-Jewish relations...
In its twelfth consecutive year, the ucLADINO conference continues to advocate for the preservation of Ladino language and culture in the Judeo-Spanish diaspora. The theme for this year’s ucLADINO conference, Encounters with Judeo-Spanish Culture in the MENA and Beyond, seeks to highlight the ways in which Judeo-Spanish speakers (including but not limited to Haketia and...
-Organized by Kristopher W. Kersey, University of California, Los Angeles To this day, many mistake Japan for a culturally homogenous society, yet this nationalistic myth is far from the truth. In an effort to underscore the diversity of early modern Japan, this conference will direct attention to two groups who are often marginalized if not...
Join us for a screening of Palestinian filmmaker Mohanad Yaqubi’s film, “R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity,” followed by a panel discussion featuring UCLA Professors Saree Makdisi, Robin Kelley, and Shannon Speed. The film centers on the growing struggle for Palestinian self-determination between 1960 and 1980, which was supported by left-wing movements worldwide, including Japan. This is...
This event will include a reading and talk by Holly Melgard that will explore how the post-digital conditions of her textual environment play an integral part in shaping her creative practice as a poet. Register here to attend. Holly Melgard is the author of Read Me: Selected Works (Ugly Duckling Presse 2023) and Fetal Position...
The Word and the Note lecture by Alkinoos Ioannidis Singer-Songwriter April 26, 2024 4:00 pm Mong Auditorium, UCLA campus Reception to follow Event is free but advanced registration is requested RSVP here: https://forms.gle/acuttXFWE2AmHXmEA What is a song? When do words function as sound and when do notes represent meaning? Is tradition closer to conservatism or...
Alkinoos Ioannidis in Concert a concert presented by the UCLA SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture Saturday, April 27, 2024 7:30pm Schoenberg Hall, UCLA campus Tickets: $40 – general admission $15 – students with valid ID (can be purchased in person at UCLA’s Central Ticket Office in advance, or on April 27 at...
Guest Speaker: Hannah Barker (Arizona State University) In 1455, the Venetian patrician Giosafat Barbaro encountered an old friend in surprising circumstances. As a young merchant in the Black Sea port of Tana, Barbaro had met and befriended a local Tatar notable named Chebechzi. At the end of his time in Tana, Barbaro returned home expecting...
Tens of thousands of Indigenous peoples have migrated to the United States since 1994, the vast majority from Mexico and Mesoamerica. As a consequence, the U.S. Native American population increased by 86% between 2010 and 2020. Zapotec is now second only to Navajo as the most-spoken Indigenous language in the U.S., while bilingual immersion in...