Professor of History Mostafa Minawi [afikra Conversations]
Mostafa Minawi talked about his work as a professor and his published books such as, "The Ottoman Scramble for Africa: Empire and Diplomacy in the Sahara and the Hijaz."
Mostafa Minawi researches different forms of imperialism in the Middle East and Northeast Africa at the turn of the 20th century. He also investigate how global events and the internal crisis in the empire were refracted through the lived experience of Arab-Ottoman imperialists and their families, living in Istanbul through the turbulent political and social changes leading up to WWI and the breakup of the empire. He is currently working on two related book projects which he thinks of as two sides of the same coin. The first is a “micro” level look at the lived experience of imperialists at home, focusing on the life-worlds of the families of Arab-Ottomans living in Istanbul as the empire crumbled between 1878 and 1918. It comes out in late 2022 in Arabic, translated by Africa Institute in Sharjah. The second focuses on Ottoman imperialism abroad and is a “macro” level engagement with international diplomacy and questions of sovereignty and colonialism in northeast Africa.
About Conversations
afikra Conversations is our flagship program featuring long-form interviews with experts from academia, art, and media who are helping document and/or shape the histories and cultures of the Arab world through their work. Our hope is that by having the guest share their expertise and story, the community still walks away with new found curiosity - and maybe some good recommendations about new nerdy rabbit holes to dive into head first. Following the interview there is a moderated town-hall style Q&A with questions coming from the live virtual audience on Zoom. Join the live audience: https://www.afikra.com/rsvp
