'Religions, Ethnicities, Identities' Series Features Expert on Islam

Ali Mirsepassi, professor and associate dean of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, will talk on "Civilizational Thinking and Modernity: Crisis of Cultural Narratives in Islamic Societies" on Thursday, November 7. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Klingenstein Lounge, Egbert Hall. It is part of the College's yearlong series "Religions, Ethnicities, Identities."

Mirsepassi's areas of expertise are the social theories of modernity, sociology of religion, Middle Eastern societies and cultures, and Islam and social change. He is especially interested in the modernization of Iran and has authored Intellectual Discourse and the Politics of Modernization: Negotiating Modernity in Iran. Mirsepassi argues that the changes in Iran over the last 20 years have not come about simply because of clashes between modernity and tradition but have instead developed as Iran tries to reconcile its traditional Islamic culture with a secular world.

In addition to Mirsepassi's talk, the "Religions, Ethnicities, Identities" series offers a free screening of the Greek film Landscape in the Mist, the story of a brother and sister who set off on a quest for their missing father. A collaboration with the Cinema on the Edge film and video series, the screening will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, in Park Hall Auditorium.

Additional events are being scheduled for the spring semester. More information on the "Religions, Ethnicities, Identities" series, as well as a list of suggested readings, is available at www.ithaca.edu/religion.

The series is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity and the Offices of Multicultural Affairs and the Provost, in collaboration with Cinema on the Edge.