Launched last week, AUC’s Climate Change Initiative capitalizes on AUC’s contributions to national and international efforts in tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time. The initiative includes research, student activities, teaching and learning, outreach, tracking and reducing our carbon footprint, writing school textbooks on climate change and providing climate change solutions in specific contexts within the country.

“Our aim in this initiative is to reinforce AUC’s role as an active academic hub on climate change and sustainable development in Egypt and the region, as well as an active contributor to global efforts addressing climate change challenges,” said President Ahmad Dallal. “Of course, COP27, hosted in Egypt in November, provides an incentive to catalyze AUC’s climate change initiative.”

Dallal outlined the initiative’s five main areas of focus that are fully aligned with national and regional climate change and sustainability priorities:

1. Water-related issues
2. Green architecture and sustainable urban development
3. Green finance
4. Global health
5. Energy transition

These areas of focus also overlap with a number of “cross-cutting issues” ––adaptation to climate change, resilience of communities, mitigation measures, education and a just transition –– that are relevant to Asia and the region. “We encourage a multidisciplinary approach in addressing challenges, including policy, regulatory frameworks, financing, scientific research and social science aspects,” said Dallal.

UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt and Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund Mahmoud Mohieldin, who was the keynote speaker at the event, highlighted five distinctive features of COP27, which AUC will participate in next fall:

• A holistic approach to climate change

“We cannot ignore poverty, hunger, job creation and an inclusive approach to the whole [climate change] agenda, including the impact of climate change on children, youth and women."

• Implementation of previous promises outlined in the climate change agenda and action plan

“We don’t need new frameworks; we just need to apply what we have. If there is a good idea, let’s projectize it. You [AUC] have good ideas, and you have been teaching about them, so [the focus now is] how to apply them on your scale, with the hope that this could be scaled up or replicated somewhere else.”

• For the first time in the history of COPs, there is an alignment between the COP agenda, G13 and the rest of the SDGs [UN Sustainable Development Goals], with five major events to correlate the promise of finance coming from different institutions with the pipeline of projects, especially those focusing on mitigation, decarbonization and race to zero.

“This is a very practical approach based on a country-platform design, with five regional roundtables [across the world] – and I’m inviting you to participate in any capacity you wish. … It’s not just about Egypt and the local community. It’s about the region, Arab countries, the Mediterranean, Africa  and beyond.”

• Localization (bottom-up approach): For the first time, Egypt’s 27 governorates will be participating through their big, small and medium enterprises, startups, as well as women-led community development initiatives in a two-month competition to choose the project that offers the smartest and greenest solutions, after which a team of national winners will be selected.
  ​​​

“It’s not about the competition; it’s about [showcasing] the talents and skills in the governorates, and it’s a chance to demonstrate what they’re doing. … It is customary for rich countries to host big conferences to be attended by 30,000 plus participants, [including] heads of state, but ordinary people would always wonder, ‘What's in it for us? Why do we have this conference?’ And this is legitimate.” 
 

• Finance through partnerships, investments, international financial institutions, as well as public and private sector funding

“Without finance and investments, without the resources available to us –– not just financial resources, but technology and knowledge [as well] – nothing will really progress, and many of these ideas may end up with frustration. There will be some serious discussion about [funding] opportunities." 

Towering in the middle of AUC’s Tahrir Cultural Center (TCC) is a metal sculpture containing intricate shapes made of iron, accompanied by three paintings on a nearby wall. Visual arts major Nour Tawfik ‘22, describes the installation, “Nostalgia is a Dirty Liar…” — which took her a year’s worth of research and creativity to make for her senior project:

“The sculpture represents memories, or a narrative, within space, whereas the paintings depict memories held onto the space,” she said. “This depicts the distortion of memories that occur in an architectural space.”

Her project visualizes the desperation and fear that propels one to hold onto false memories. “More broadly,” she described, “it is a surreal, dystopian illustration of the way in which the subconscious reconstructs memories, making people cling onto false depictions of reality.”

Tawfik’s work is one of 11 multimedia art projects from AUC’s visual arts program on display at the Margo Veillon, Legacy and Future gallery halls at TCC. The exhibition is titled “Liquid Gaze” — a multistage process of looking at or viewing an object described by Shady ElNoshokaty, director of AUC’s visual arts program and curator of the exhibition, in the show’s program.

“This sequence of transformation from one [modality of viewing] to another in moments is what makes the phenomenon of gazing one of the most fundamental human phenomena linked to imagination and creativity,” he wrote.

Be sure to stop by the Margo Veillon, Legacy and Future gallery halls at TCC before June 25 to view all of the 2022 final projects from AUC’s Visual Arts program.

The final projects are an integral part of AUC’s visual arts program, which launched in 2013. Each year, a panel of independent judges evaluates the group show, and ElNoshokaty releases a printed book documenting the creative and production practices showcasing the experience.

“Liquid Gaze” is the first senior project exhibition to be open to the public since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with last year’s show, “(K) for Cannibal” closed to outside viewers.

The projects are unique in that they encompass much more than a simple vision — they also follow a contemporary, experimental methodology with a philosophical reference. In order to reach this deep level of expression, ElNoshokaty has his students conduct one semester of research and another for creating the installations.

The entire process, ElNoshokaty described, is filled with long discussion sessions and ever-shifting goalposts as ideas and concepts evolved.

”The projects started in the fall of 2021, where students developed their individual ideas and conducted visual and knowledge-based research,” he explained. “The latter covered all the theoretical details of the idea, in addition to many other critical and analytical practices that helped develop special creative areas and translate them into theoretical writing for the first part of the project.”

“The research process was incredibly time-consuming, multilayered and complex,” noted Amira ElKouny ‘22, another artist who is displaying her animation work, titled “(IN)DIVIDUAL.” “Every decision had to be well-thought-out before I went along with it, due to the sensitivity of later creating a professional visual arts production based on an intricate research-based project.”

Moreover, ElNoshokaty added, “This group took the most important courses of their majors online due to the pandemic. This project was the first time for many of them to experiment in an actual physical space — which added another layer of pressure.”

Vision from Experience

Inspiration for Tawfik’s iron giant and accompanying paintings first came to her in an art gallery in Athens while viewing an installation by South Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, which allowed visitors an intimate view into the artist’s home. “That sparked my interest in ‘walking through’ memories, which eventually led me to create the installation,” she said.

After choosing her topic, Tawfik dove into studying human memory. “Memories are the foundation of an individual's identity, as they shape and build who a person is, and what they will become,” she said. “They are an integral part of human existence — yet the same memory can be experienced or recalled differently from person to person, or by the same person at different points in time.”

“(IN)DIVIDUAL,” on the other hand, was inspired by a research link visualized in a vivid dream ElKouny had after completing around two years of research on the concept of how our bodies and minds “act and react to spaces they are in, and how the power of authoritative systems affect an individual’s mind and body in moments of fear.”

She describes her installation in the program as a “surreal-morphing experience of fear while trying to escape and survive under authoritarian systems of power.” The work also explores the modern psychotherapeutic theory of the “inner child” and “adult self.”

Lights, Camera, Exhibition

Having just under three months to translate their research into art, the students and ElNoshokaty found themselves hard-pressed for time as opening day approached.

“During the week leading up to the exhibition, I was still finalizing some of the paintings,” Tawfik described. “Finishing a painting is very difficult generally — knowing when it’s done is challenging, because you can always add more layers. I was working on them until the last day.”

ElKouny shared a similar experience. “The week before the exhibition's opening was extremely exhausting and painful,” she said. “I had to re-do a whole part of the drawings, scanning process, video and sound editing process because it did not follow the rhythm of the whole piece — it wouldn't have been as effective as it is now.”

Despite the challenges, all three described the overall experience as extremely instrumental in their personal and professional development.

“Preparing for the grad show is an intense educational experience, not only for my students but also for me,” ElNoshokaty said.

“It was enlightening in a way,” ElKouny added. “I learned a lot about myself, my thought process, actions and creative process.”

“It made me think outside the box and really find out what ideas I’m passionate about,” Tawfik said. “This was also my first time creating a sculpture, so I learned that I can express myself effectively not just through paintings, but also through sculptures and installations.”

With their installations currently housed at the galleries and unalterable, Tawfik and ElKouny feel a mixture of pride and relief. “I can’t believe we were able to achieve this and be part of this exhibition,” ElKouny said.

“Thankfully, everything came together in the end,” Tawfik said. “Now that it is out of my hands to fix anything, I like it a lot more as it stands.”

Najla Badran, adjunct professor in AUC’s Department of the Arts, won third prize and received an honorable mention during the 12th Granshan Type Design Competition for her work in digitizing the typefaces of Egyptian calligrapher Moussad Khodeir, known as Khodeir Al-Borsaidy.

Khodeir is among the pioneers of Arabic calligraphy, with his work appearing often in the Egyptian cinema and theater scene in the 1970s and 1980s. Badran was introduced to the artist by Bahia Shehab (MA'09), professor of the practice and founder of AUC’s graphic design program, during a student trip to El Moez Street in Cairo, and it was during that first meeting that she suggested the project.

Badran explained that Arabic revival typefaces from previous decades, unlike their Latin counterparts, are not widely available. 

“Whenever you think of movies from past decades, there's a lot of specific typography that encompasses your mind and causes you to envision a specific style,” she said. “I was really interested in trying to bring back the beauty of the past into the present.”

Covering six typefaces hand-drawn by Khodeir decades ago, Badran began in 2020 to transfer the letters into Glyphs, a font editor she employed to draw the calligrapher’s manual works digitally, making sure that the letters matched and adding ligatures and stylistic alternatives.

She estimates that drawing each typeface took about three months — as each letter in Arabic appears in four different forms — and that was before getting feedback from Khodeir.

“It was a lot of back-and-forth between me and Khodeir, and switching between typefaces,” Badran recalled, noting that she also used credits from old movies and series that Khodeir’s work appeared in to offer alternative forms for letters.

“It has been a huge project, but at the same time, I’ve had fun and learned a lot,” she said.

Since December 2021, the duo’s project has been further developed as part of the Asil project by Tarek AtrissiDesign NL in partnership with AlQalam and with the support of Creative Industries Fund NL.

So far, two typefaces have been finalized: Resheet Khodeir and Modern Belya, both of which were prize winners at the competition — with the former winning third prize and the latter receiving a special mention. Modern Belya was also awarded a shortlist at the Design and Art Direction Awards this year.

“Najla is part an the emerging scene of professional designers from Egypt,” Shehab said. “In these competitions, she was competing against masters of Arab type design — some of whom have been practicing for 30 or 40 years. Our department is very proud of her accomplishment and cannot wait to see what else she will achieve in her career as a type designer.”

Winning alongside world-class designers felt nothing short of astounding for Badran. “Not only is it great to be beside such amazing people, but it is also nice to show Khodeir that his work can continue to dominate right now.”

Khodeir reported that he felt hesitant at first to embark on such a project, as he had never translated his hand-drawn letters into a digital format. “However,” he said, “after seeing Najla’s work, I was very impressed. Overall, I am very proud and happy about this project.”

Badran studied graphic design at the German University in Cairo and the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. She has been teaching typography at AUC since 2017, where she often encourages her students to enter design competitions.

“I always try to help my students think of how they can use what they create in the class now at a later time,” she said. “It’s also very nice to see how they creatively deal with projects because it might inspire me to do something different.”

Learn more about Badran’s work here.

Mahmoud El Kady ‘21 and Tia Ashraf, anthropology graduating senior, won third place worldwide in the 2022 Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence competition.

This year, participants were asked to incorporate social science research into architecture and to outline the design process for a housing project within a disadvantaged local community.

The team’s essay — “Economic Architectonics: Local Initiatives for Live/Work Housing” — introduces Cairo’s Coptic Christian community of Hay el-Zabaleen (the garbage collectors’ neighborhood), elaborating on the area’s history and the challenges facing inhabitants today. 

“Working on this essay was exciting and invigorating,” El Kady recalled. “It was liberating to write creatively and work toward a goal that I care about.”

The duo’s proposal constructs a design process that is, above all, inclusive of the residents.

“Powered by the residents themselves, the local initiative will not only provide services to the community but will also facilitate and moderate the design surveys conducted to solicit the resident’s opinions,” the proposal reads.

El Kady, who majored in architectural engineering and minored in theatre and economics, was glad to translate his work into real-life impact.

“Writing this essay with Tia was the perfect opportunity to do firsthand research and to take the readings, discussions, and design projects that shaped me the most beyond the classroom,” El Kady said. “I am grateful to have started a transdisciplinary research project before graduating — which I have wanted to pursue for a long time.”

He is also grateful for his time at AUC, attributing his success to the skills he acquired during his undergraduate studies.

“Being able to ask questions and challenge assumptions are the best tools that AUC gave me,” El Kady added. “Through my work for student government, I was encouraged to be creative, take the initiative and be persistent — all of which are qualities we practiced throughout the writing process.”

A former professor of El Kady praised his “phenomenal” project for her Spring 2021 thesis studio.

“Mahmoud exemplified the best of which AUC's architecture program has to offer — socially conscious, liberal arts-informed, technically sound and ethically responsible design for the communities most in need,” said Magda Mostafa, associate professor of design in AUC’s Department of Architecture.

Reflecting on the prize’s impact on his current and future work, El Kady concluded, “Winning has encouraged me to pursue grassroots urban and architectural development as a long-term goal.”

Amr Adly, assistant professor in AUC’s Department of Political Science, uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine the interrelationship between politics, society and economic development in Egypt and the MENA region.  

His second book, Cleft Capitalism: The Social Origins of Failed Market Making in Egypt, received this year’s Roger Owen Award from the Middle East Studies Association. It examines the history of Egypt’s economic liberalization efforts and challenges common understandings of why they have not always generated the same success as those employed in other emerging economies. 

Established in 2011, the Roger Owen award recognizes exceptional scholarship in the areas of economics, economic history or political economy focused on the Middle East and North Africa. 

“I felt quite fortunate that the book was well received and to be recognized at all, especially because it is critical to the conventional wisdom in the discipline,” Adly said.

Many researchers before Adly have sought to examine the shortfalls of Egypt’s market-making efforts, which began in the mid-1970s.

Most of these analyses examine the situation from the perspective of classical liberal economic theory. They argue that political interference has distorted how the market functions, emphasizing the role of cronyism and corruption in stymying Egypt’s growth. 

Cleft Capitalism is premised on the idea that these readings are incomplete. 

“Market making, especially initially, is shaped by politics to a great extent,” Adly argues.

After all, political interventions in the market have been a common feature in countries such as China and South Korea, both of which have seen marked increases in important social metrics in the last 50 years, as well as rapid economic growth. 

“Many other economies in the Global South, especially in East and Southeast Asia, have also experienced very similar problems to Egypt, such as state collusion with businesses, rampant corruption and cronyism,” Adly explained, “but this did not considerably undermine their ability to perform.”

Compared to Egypt and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, “many of these economies have been deemed more successful in terms of growth rates, competitiveness, and their ability to deliver social and economic development”. 

Applying a new approach to an old question

Seeking to offer a more nuanced understanding of why Egypt has, in some ways, fallen behind other emerging economies in its attempts to deliver inclusive economic growth through liberalization, Adly chose to employ an economic sociological approach, which seeks to understand the social causes of a given phenomenon. 

Beginning in 2013 and 2014, while he was completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, Adly conducted surveys and extensive interviews in Egypt and Tunisia among the “often hidden population of very undercapitalized and very local establishments that, in many cases, are not even formal enterprises”.

His empirical findings revealed a pattern of social and structural exclusion. The “rules under which businesses have been operating have denied them access to capital, both financial capital, such as access to bank credit, and physical capital, such as land,” Adly summarized.

He went on to explain that “the institutional framework created in Egypt has allowed capitalization primarily to state actors and, on a secondary basis, to the big businesses that could break through such extensive state control.”

Over several decades, this has created a “cleft” in the Egyptian economy, a wide gap between state entities and big companies, on the one hand, and the microenterprises that comprise the majority of the private sector on the other.  

Seeking to deepen his understanding of the situation, Adly conducted a comparative analysis with the more successful cases of transformation in the Global South, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. He found that the cultivation of a broad base of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has played an essential role in their more successful development trajectories. 

Speaking as a guest on the Project on Middle East Political Science Middle East Political Science Podcast last year, Adly explained that “this middle bourgeoisie was crucial in sustaining the market-making process” in these countries by creating “a constituency that was bigger than merely big businesses that are, in many cases in the Global South, attached to the state”. 

In contrast, Egypt’s market-making process has been hindered by an “unintegrated capitalist order where those at the very top simply do not have enough linkages with the broad base of the private sector in a way that has proven to be quite detrimental for overall macroeconomic performance.” 

Making multiple impacts

The culmination of over seven years of research, Cleft Capitalism provides an analysis of market development efforts in Egypt. While the scope of the work ends in 2011, its findings have implications for the country’s current economic reform program, in which greater financial inclusion for both individuals and SMEs is a key focus. 

Speaking briefly on how the lessons from the book can be applied today, Adly explained, “We need institutional innovation that can enable greater access to capital for the broad base of micro enterprises. The problem is not that [SMEs] are undercapitalized; it’s that there is an undersupply of them to start with.”

He added “When it comes to finance, we need intermediate institutions that can bridge between the informal institutional arrangements through which capital is provided and formal institutions, be they banking or non-banking financial institutions.”

Adly’s scholarship, which has also examined Turkey and Tunisia, often has implications for both policy planning and public debate. In addition to publishing his research in peer-reviewed journals, Adly is also a regular contributor to local and international news outlets, such as Bloomberg, Jadaliyya and Al-Shorouk.

Cleft Capitalism, though, also stands out for its academic contribution. The book not only presents Adly’s original findings but also showcases the distinctive methodological and theoretical approaches used to attain them. This is why the book has been so well received, garnering both the label of an internationally renowned publisher and the 2021 Roger Owen Award. 

Adly also suggested that Cleft Capitalism’s success is a reflection of increased recognition of the importance of diverse perspectives in both the field of political science and academic publishing.

“The very fact that the book, together with some others that are as critical in the areas of sociology and political economy, have come out from Stanford University Press recently, is a sign that a shift is taking place toward endorsing more critical voices and allowing a bigger representation of scholars based in the region. In that sense, I think that that award is definitely significant.”

From applications that support dementia patients and promote the upcycling of biodegradable materials to anti-air pollution kits and a board game that educates players on internet privacy, four fresh graduates from AUC showcased their work on the international stage at Dubai Design Week's MENA Grad Show.

Lama Adham ‘21, Donia Elshimy ‘20, Amanda Ioannou ‘20 and Reem Hasebou ‘20 traveled to Dubai along with Ghalia Elsrakbi, associate professor of practice and director of AUC’s graphic design program, to share with the public their final products, or prototypes, that were a year in the making — each one providing a creative and innovative solution for a problem facing the world.

“The event aims to support students and their ideas,” Elsrakbi said, explaining that participating at the show can open the door for students to turn their products into reality.

Although the prototypes were born out of the quartet’s graduation projects for the same subject – graphic design – they all differ greatly. Adham’s project, titled Waft, is a sustainable wearable technology kit designed for protection from air pollution. Elshimy created DemiCare, a mobile application that supports dementia patients and informal caregivers. Ioannou produced Al Madda, a website and app aimed at promoting the upcycling of biodegradable materials. And Hasebou released Terms & Conditions, a board game that educates players on privacy, security and data consumption.

During the weeklong event, two projects from AUC — Adham’s and Elshimy’s — were selected for the show’s Entrepreneurship Programme, which will provide them with mentoring, funding and business development support for their products.

In order to develop the prototypes for their projects, graphic design students at AUC must conduct a semester’s worth of extensive background research, followed by a semester dedicated to the meticulous design of the final product itself, Elsrakbi reported. “For example, in her first semester, Donia conducted research on dementia patients,” she said. “She then [in her second semester] designed the application, tested it, made a prototype and presented it.”

Though the products may vary, each alumna spoke about her project with passion. “I wanted to use my work for my graduation project for the greater good,” Adham said, explaining that her product both improves health on a local and global scale and creates awareness about air pollution.

“As a former caregiver myself for four years, information seeking [on dementia] was very difficult,” said Elshimy. “I hope that DemiCare is able to support and guide the caregivers to be able to support their loved ones with a comfortable daily life.”

“I hope that 'Terms & Conditions' is able to create a cross-generational space of learning and sharing about topics of data consumption, privacy and security,” added Hasebou, who also minored in anthropology. “The game was created for 13-17 year olds but can be utilized by all ages. It is meant to help start a conversation between family members and friends in a fun and engaging manner.”

Ioannou noted passion in her audience as well: “I was so blessed to have been featured in Dubai Design Week, where I got to meet experts in the field, receive feedback  from multiple age groups and watch children and students surprisingly get particularly intrigued about the project,” she recalled. “It was amazing to see how many people were interested in the project and looking forward to downloading the application and trying out these materials from home with their families — that is the main point of the project.”

Also present at the show were investors and people from the culture and innovation sectors, as well as students and professors from other universities — a mix full of networking opportunities for the participants, according to Elsrakbi. “It’s a great opportunity and very important to our program at AUC,” she said. 

“It truly was a wonderful opportunity to not only showcase my work but also to meet designers based in the MENA region with the same passion for design that centers around social impact and education,” Hasebou said.

"I am glad to have received press coverage from large platforms such as Architecture Digest Middle East, Sky News Arabia, Arab News and The National", Ioannou added. "I also got to personally present my project to many celebrities, including Sheikha Latifa Bin Rashid.

“The global grad show has been a dream of mine,” Elshimy said. “It's important as a designer to reflect on the work of other designers, scientists and engineers, and get together to showcase urgent solutions that can impact and shape our future and societies.”

“Being featured in Dubai Design Week was a huge privilege and something I consider as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Adham said. “Exhibiting my work to big names and being featured in articles from major publishing houses was a great honor and really gave me a push to further develop my project.”

Beyond the unique experience, the grads are also grateful for the support and guidance they received from Elsrakbi and other faculty members in the program. “Of course, I owe a big thank you to Dr. Ghalia for always pushing us to delve deeper and let the research not only inform but guide our design process,” Hasebou said.

Similarly, Elsrakbi is pleased with the work of her students, noting that this is the fourth year that AUC has been represented at the show. “We are proud as faculty," she said. "It's rewarding to see all of the hard work being acknowledged and celebrated.”

___

Main Photo by Darcey Beau on Unsplash

All Photos courtesy of AUC's Design Program

In his debut book Gossip Men, historian Christopher Elias, assistant professor of history at AUC, examines a crucial period of change in the history of American politics from an uncommon yet fascinating perspective – gossip. 

Gossip Men introduces readers to J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn – three major players in 1950s American history, all of whom harnessed the power of gossip and misinformation to sway public opinion and forward their political agendas.

“[These men] were using paths, such as gossip magazines and talking to gossip columnists, that weren't traditionally used by American politicians up to that point, particularly in the last 50 years,” Elias said.

Hoover, McCarthy and Cohn notoriously accused their enemies of being communists, of not being loyal to the United States and of homosexuality. Such accusations were taken seriously and many people lost their jobs or were imprisoned.

However, this strategy eventually backfired on the men, Elias explains: “The grand irony, and really what I think the book turns on, is the fact that so many of the tools that they use – going through gossip magazines, photographic manipulation, insinuation, guilt by association, all of these things that were kind of dirty play in politics – were ultimately used against all three of them to ultimately if not totally bring them down.”

‘Underground Conversations’

The idea for the book came to Elias as he was listening to the Army-McCarthy hearings, which were held by the U.S. Senate in 1954 to investigate conflicting accusations between McCarthy and the U.S. Army. A lawyer from the army’s side accused one of McCarthy’s employees of being a “pixie,” which back then was a homophobic slur.

Elias grew curious upon hearing this and asked himself two questions: “Number one, why is this kind of gendered homophobic language being thrown in the middle of U.S. Senate hearings? And number two, when the lawyer says that a worker for Joe McCarthy is a pixie, or a fairy, how was that received by the American public? Did they even know it was going on? Were they familiar with homosexual slang at the time?”

In order to understand how homosexual and homophobic language was expressed in American popular culture during that period, Elias turned to gossip magazines. “Rumors about sexuality were most often circulating in what was then a burgeoning and lively gossip industry,” he said. “Gossip magazines, at certain points in the 1950s, were outselling some of the top magazines in the United States at the newsstand.”

Through a combination of traditional archives and these magazines, many of which he found on Ebay, Elias began to follow what he referred to as the “underground conversations” around sexuality and gender identity that were taking place. “[These conversations] were perhaps not in the front pages of American newspapers, but they were certainly influencing the ways in which Americans thought about their politicians, and the ways in which American identity was crafted during the early Cold War.”

Understanding Humanity

Sifting through titles such as Hush-Hush and Confidential, Elias was able to piece together a picture of societal values during the 1950s. “I think the main impact of my research on myself, as a historian, was to never dismiss anything as a possible historical text,” he said.

While he agreed that the content of gossip magazines is oftentimes silly and doesn’t seem historically significant, these stories can actually serve as a window into what society really cared about during a specific period of history. “[The stories could] say something deeper about the way we live, the way that our own relationships come to pass and the way that we relate to other people in our lives.”

Elias added that future historians will likely be examining social media platforms, such as Twitter and Tik Tok, in order to understand how information travels today and the things that garner public attention.

Moreover, Elias believes that although gossip has generally been viewed as a feminized activity, many of these magazines could actually have been read primarily by men. How did he come to this conclusion? By looking at the advertisements.
“Advertisers are going to try to figure out who's reading [the magazine], and are absolutely going to market their goods and services to [the readers],” he explained. “And so many of these advertisements are aimed towards men.”

The advertisements offered in the magazines ranged from hair loss remedies, to masculine voice lessons and ways in which one could improve their athletic prowess. Elias likened this part of his research to detective work. “[This discovery] was a really great moment in trying to detangle the highly complex gender politics of gossip magazines during the 1950s.”

Analyzing Today’s Headlines

At AUC, Elias is teaching a class called Gossip and Misinformation in American Politics. While he does draw on his book research for course content, the professor also challenges his students to bring in their own pieces of gossip for the class to analyze.

“We start every class with them telling me a piece of gossip they've heard,” he said. “And then we go through that gossip, whether it be about Britney Spears or Mo Salah.” Elias and his students examine what the gossip says about peoples’ attitudes and opinions around certain topics, guided by the question: why do we care?

Writing Gossip Men also affirmed to Elias the importance of storytelling and narratives in sparking interest in a topic, two components that he continues to use in the classroom today. “In all of my classes, whether I'm teaching U.S. history, the gossip class or a class on Middle Eastern immigration to the United States, I try to use stories of people, not necessarily even famous, memorable or powerful people, but just average people, to understand what their real lived experience can tell us about how prejudices and commitments and stereotypes about things like race, gender and religion influenced the way that they went through the world.”

The historian is currently working on his next book, a historical fiction that follows a Syrian Lebanese family immigrating to Colorado in the early 20th century. “It's a book about immigration. It's a book about American identity. It's a book about the way that society treats its most vulnerable members,” he  said. “And I hope it's all wrapped up in a great story about a murder investigation and certain tragedies that befall a number of families during the Great Depression in Colorado.”

Striking Parallels

Elias also found that in the 1950s, a period characterized by hope and optimism, people felt anxious and uncertain around topics such as nuclear war and gender identity. Though the topics may differ, he recognizes the same anxiety and uncertainty in U.S. society today.

“In all stages of historical growth, you do have these deep anxieties, even when people think everything is going well, because you're always worried about what's around the corner,” Elias explained. “There are certain points in American history where those anxieties seem to jump up – the late 19th century, the 1950s certainly, and I would say with the political polarization that's happening in the United States right now.” 

Gossip Men demonstrates the way in which American politicians are capable of carefully constructing themselves as someone voters can trust in these times of uncertainty, while simultaneously revealing themselves as untrustworthy, a phenomenon that highlights the fragility of democracy, Elias believes.

“We think that we have these systems that are going to stay in place no matter what, but the only reason that democratic systems work is because people are consistently protecting them,” he said. “If we don't do that, the collapse is much closer than we think.”

An exhibition honoring graphic design legend Paul Rand's work and legacy in the Middle East is happening now through November 25 at the Sharjah Art Gallery in AUC New Cairo.

From left to right:
IBM Rebus Production Art, Marker sketch
International Business Machines Corporation. 1981. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.
And Daniel Lewandowski.

Rebus Poster. Re-issued with bottom copy. 
International Business Machines Corporation. 1982. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.

Hand Cut Rebus Expolartions. 
International Business Machines Corporation. 1987. 
Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©.

From left to right:
Haytham Nawar, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the Arts. 
President Ahmad Dallal. 
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.

Covers of Direction Magazine.
Images Courtesy Daniel Lewandowski.

Prejudices: A Selection by H.L.Mencken. Book Jacket. 1958. 
Image Courtesy Penguin Random House LLC.

From left to right:
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
President Ahmad Dallal. 

Poster of the Paul Rand: The Idealist/Realist Exhibition.

Paul Rand: The Idealist/Realist Exhibition. Hall 2 at the Sharjah Art Gallery. 

From left to right:
Nagla Samir, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Co-curator of the Paul Rand exhibition.
President Ahmad Dallal. 
Provost Ehab Abdel Rahman. 
Haytham Nawar, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the Arts.

The Origins and History of Consciousness by Neumann. Book Jacket. 1964. 
​​​​​Image Courtesy Penguin Random House LLC.

​​Thanks to designer Nour Elnemr ‘20, a political science major with a minor in economics, four hospitals in Egypt have undergone major transformations with effects that can be felt by staff, patients and the 24-year-old herself. Elnemr has customized scrubs, post-op gowns, recovery areas and waiting rooms throughout the last four years with the goal of adding brightness and positivity to the patient experience.

“With my designs, I'm trying to change the experience people have when accessing medical care,” she said. “Patient experience is very important, especially for those with cancer. It's 90% of the healing process.”

During her sophomore year at AUC, Elnemr worked as an intern for an interior design company. It was during this time that she came up with her first idea. “I remember sitting in class one day, and it hit me: I wanted to design a line with an impact," she recalled. 

Elnemr decided to create a furniture line decorated with drawings done by cancer patients.

She presented it to Cairo’s Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 soon thereafter, and to her surprise, they asked her to start the next day. To get the designs, Elnemr held workshops with the hospital’s children for 12 hours each week over six months, where she introduced them to artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee and Matisse for inspiration.

“Sitting with the kids was out of this world and life-changing,” she said. “They are all brilliant and bright. Their only challenge is having cancer.”

The furniture sold quickly, and revenues from sales went directly back to the hospital. Pleased with Elnemr’s work, the hospital’s CEO approached her to create a similar design for the hospital staff’s white scrubs. Drawing from her time spent with the kids, Elnemr came up with brightly colored positive affirmations for the otherwise bland uniforms. Each affirmation was specific to a patient struggle she noted during her time in the hospital. Phrases included “We love you,” “Tomorrow’s a new day” and “You are superman.”

During the design phase, she knew that her scrubs would stand out among others because of this personalized touch.

“Other designers of hospital scrubs have not met these kids. They have not seen the happiness or the pain that they have in their eyes,” she said. “My affirmations are there to repair that pain.”

Elnemr saw and felt the impact of her design six months later when she returned to the hospital and found the staff wearing her scrubs. “A woman came up to me and thanked me, saying that I made her smile after she thought she never would again,” she remembered. Seeing the positive effects her designs had on an entire hospital inspired Elnemr to take her work to others.

So she launched her own company, Nour Elnemr Designs, through which she has come up with and implemented similar projects for the Baheya Foundation For Early Detection & Treatment Of Breast Cancer in El Haram, the Al Nas Hospital in Shoubra and the Magdi Yacoub Foundation’s Aswan Heart Centre. Each project required around two months of research, she said, so that her designs could properly combat the challenges facing each institution.

For example, the Magdi Yacoub Foundation’s hospital manager reported that they were struggling in encouraging kids to adopt healthy habits post-operation. To remedy this, Elnemr came up with a line of superheroes to feature on the post-op gowns. Each superhero embodied a healthy habit, such as exercise and coming to follow-up appointments.

The young designer recalled her own obstacles during this time, from balancing her academic and work lives to managing tight budgets and overcoming doubt from people who saw her as “just a student.”

“I had to prove myself time and again and assure people that I could work on these high-level projects,” she said. “It was a tough journey but one that I am grateful for.”

Elnemr ultimately dreams of spreading her work to the rest of Egypt’s hospitals and beyond. “Alongside other projects, I'm trying to show multinationals that I'm a realistic and affordable option,” she said, stressing the importance of designing a space according to the people who occupy it. 

Full of ambition, compassion and gratitude, Elnemr continues to build a portfolio that sets her apart from others in the industry. “This is not a normal design firm,” she emphasized. “Our designs are human-centric and very close to our hearts.”

All photos courtesy of Nour ElNemr Designs

A mummy suspected to belong to an ancient nobleman, discovered in 2019 by a Charles University archaeological mission led by archaeologist Mohamed Megahed, Charles University, Czech Republic, and including Salima Ikram (YAB '86), distinguished University professor of Egyptology, may actually date back 1,000 years earlier than initially believed, a fact that could drastically change the history of mummification.

Since the discovery was announced, it has been picked up by news outlets across the globe.

According to Ikram, Megahed discovered in the area of Djedkare Isesi's pyramid "a tomb dating to the Fifth Dynasty [part of the Old Kingdom] that was beautifully decorated. Inside the tomb there was some pottery, dating back to the same period, and also the remains of a mummy."

Upon inspection of the mummy, Ikram initially believed it impossible for it to belong to the Old Kingdom due to the style of mummification. However, she said, "All the circumstantial evidence from the tomb points to the fact that this is indeed an Old Kingdom mummy."

"If this mummy is actually the body of the tomb owner, we will have to revise all that we know about the history and technology of mummification in Egypt, as well as routes relating to the incense trade," Ikram said. 

The team is now waiting to have carbon-14 tests done to the mummy's cloths to verify its age, a practice that is not standard in dating mummies, but has been deemed necessary in this case, due to the lack of agreement between the mummification style and the mummy's surroundings. 

There are also hopes of running tests on the mummification materials, such as resins, to identify their origin and relation to trade routes, as well as further shed light on mummification technology.

Ikram and her colleagues, along with the rest of the world, will have to wait until next spring for the carbon-14 results, as the Egyptologist predicted that they won't be available until May 2022.

"We are all on tenterhooks waiting for the results," she said. "In between now and then, I guess we'll just chew our nails and hope for the best."

Djedkare Isesi's pyramid, where the team has been working, is located in south Saqqara, Ikram reported. "I am delighted to be part of Mohammed Megahed’s team. [This is] a wonderful international collaboration that is leading to many new discoveries," she said.

Ikram serves the team as a mummy specialist and archaeo-zoologist. Working with physical anthropologists Zeinab Hashesh and Ahmed Gabr, the three combine their skills to paint a picture of how someone was buried, as well as other details.

Some AUC students have visited the site on field trips and enjoyed Megahed's tours of it. His team hopes that as time goes on, more students will be able to join them in their work.

Ikram finally pointed out that the team has the canopic jars, which contain the mummy's internal organs and could be used in DNA testing further down the road. 

"Maybe in the future, when science is a bit more advanced, we can see if the jars contain things that match what we have from the mummy," she said, adding that "As technology advances, you can learn more and more things from the same artifacts."

Photo of Djedkare Isesi's pyramid courtesy of Creative Commons

All other photos courtesy of Djedkare's Project