American University in Cairo
New Cairo Campus
History Department Conference Room 2144
Wed 9 April, 1– 2pm: "History Hash Outs: From Studying History to Working at the UN and Beyond" join an inspiring talk with Menna El-Shiati '13. El-Shiati is the Chief Implementation officer at Community Systems Foundation, where she spearheads various projects to enhance data systems and drive evidence-based programming and advocacy for global development partners. With extensive expertise in strategic programme support and technical assistance, she has played a pivotal role in equipping stakeholders with cutting-edge data platforms and analytical tools to inform policy and decision-making. El-Shiati brings a wealth of international and regional experience in the field of gender and the fight against Female Genital Mutilation. As a former Regional Coordinator at UNFPA, she conducted fieldwork across the region, directly supporting national and regional programming under the Global Joint Programme for the Abandonment of FGM.
Based in Cairo, Egypt, she continues to champion impactful, data-driven solutions to address pressing global development challenges.
SEA Department Meeting Room (2104)- Alwaleed Hall
Wed 9 April, 5– 6.30pm: “Locating Connection at the Doorstep: Making Water and Wastewater Systems Work” lecture features Tessa Farmer, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Global Studies and the University of Virginia and a visiting scholar at IGWS. The SOAN Conversation Series in the Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology Department and the Institute of Gender and Women's Studies (IGWS) is co-sponsoring the second talk of the spring semester by Farmer. She will discuss how people locate the social and material networks they need to thrive by focusing on water management and gifting in Cairo. The talk will discuss how connections are forged in a Cairo neighborhood that indexes both processes of discovery and processes of instantiation.
Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC)
AUC’s Tahrir Campus, Al-Sheikh Rihan St, off Tahrir Square, Tel 02 2615 2694/01280009077
Oriental Hall
Fri 11 and Sat 12 April, 9am – 5pm: "Entertainment in Middle East History: The Serious Business of Leisure and Fun" is the annual history seminar, hosted by the Sheikh Hassan Abbass Sharbatly Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations. This year’s theme explores the vibrant role of entertainment in Middle Eastern culture.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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