Category: Dubai

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh’s Art Published by Indelible Literary and Arts Journal – Dubai

Content Creation, Cultural Resistance, Culture, Dubai, Feminism, Lebanon, Peace Arts, Southwestern Asia

What we become within contexts of wars and crises is indeed not pretty, as traumas accumulate and are stored in the body and spirit, and memories of catastrophes become convoluted passages from souvenirs to ressouvenirs, interpenetrated labyrinths of the cultures of silence, hypomnesia and hypermnesia.
However, a strange strength emerges. Often masked, that strength is found in the willingness to get out of bed when your body aches. You learn to rise; you learn to cope; you learn to move forward. Eventually, you learn to place the pieces back together, although a few will still be missing, and you become what seems to be at first an incomplete patchwork of identities trying to escape your old being, but as the days go by and the struggle to survive and live continues, you realize that the tabula rasa was just an illusion, and you begin to embrace what was, what is and what is yet to come.

Text and Sketches on Recycled Paper and Digital Art 2020 Series by Dr. Pamela Chrabieh following the 4th of August Beirut port explosions – –

Published by Indelible ‘Escapism’ issue, Dubai, Jan 2021: https://bit.ly/2MZZEMd

Artist Pamela Chrabieh’s “Peace Collection” in Indelible Dubai

Arab World, Arts, Content Creation, Cultural Resistance, Culture, Dubai, Lebanon, Peace Arts, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Southwestern Asia, War, War Memory

I was born and raised in the 1970s-1980s war in Lebanon. My experience as a war survivor has marked my writing and art, as has fueld my quest for peace. As I see it, peace is not only about ceasefires, the end of bloodshed, the absence of hostilities, and a state of mutual concord between governments, as war is both “physical” and “psychological”. Peace is about accountability for violence, openness, generosity, clemency, and catharsis. Peace is and should be a transformation process within mindsets, a celebration of interconnected life and unity in the diversity of complex identities. As long as the legacy of violence is not addressed within ourselves and our societies, we will remain lost, cut off from connection, living in a never-ending apocalypse of carnages and tortured souls and bodies.

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh is a scholar, writer, visual artist, and activist. Author of several books and papers with a 20+ year experience in higher education, communication, content creation, and the arts, she has exhibited her artworks in Canada, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Italy. Previously Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the American University in Dubai, she currently owns and manages a Beirut-based company offering expertise in Learning and Communication. 
http://pamelachrabiehblog.com and http://spnc.co

Source: Indelible

‘Les portes’ Artwork and Poem published by Indelible at the American University in Dubai

Arts, Content Creation, Culture, Dubai, Lebanon, Peace Arts, Peacebuilding, UAE

Indelible is a new literary journal edited by my friends at the American University in Dubai. A special thank you to Dr. Roula Maria Dib for publishing a photo of one of my paintings and a short prose poem.


“Les portes”, by Dr. Pamela Chrabieh
Oil and acrylic on canvas, Beirut – Lebanon, 2012


“Doors are the keepers of secrets, memories of the past and dreams about bright futures. Doors’ closures give the feeling of fences that speak. Behind doors, there are people who live, love each other, argue, are sad or happy; there are furniture and objects, sounds of voices, smells of soup … Doors are boundaries, presence, absence, call, communication, access, defense, rupture, transition, intimate, and universal. Doors are protective shelters, guardians of passages between the profane and the sacred. Doors are chances to do something different, they are places of departure and entrances into new worlds.

Doors are ecumenical images of life’s immanence.”

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh is a scholar, writer, visual artist, and activist. Author of several books and papers with a 20+ year experience in higher education, communication, content creation, and the arts, she has exhibited her artworks in Canada, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. Previously Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the American University in Dubai, she currently owns and manages a Beirut-based company offering expertise in Learning and Communication. http://pamelachrabiehblog.com and http://spnc.co

Source: INDELIBLEAUD.COM (March 2019)

Minutes from the Miracle City by Omar Sabbagh

Arab World, Arts, Cultural Studies, Dubai, Expertise, Gulf region, Middle Eastern Studies, Migration, UAE

Congratulations dear Omar Sabbagh! I had the pleasure to read your Dubai Novella and write a back book cover blurb.

Hakim, a Pakistani taxi driver whizzing through the streets. Patrick, a Ugandan security guard with aspirations of becoming a writer. Farida, a Moroccan beautician hoping for a fresh start. Saeed, a respected Emirati journalist just back from London.

Taking place across the last few days of Ramadan, Minutes from the Miracle City is a unique retelling of the virtuoso project that is Dubai.

Note: Here is the detailed version of my blurb: Omar Sabbagh’s Miracle City is a delightful kaleidoscopic tale of contemporary Dubai through the struggles and identity crises of migrants and locals’ characters living at the crossroads of tradition, postmodernity, and glocalization. A feast for the reader’s eye and soul!

https://www.fairlightbooks.co.uk/minutes-from-the-miracle-…/

Women’s Rights in the Gulf Region – Alaraby Interview

Arab World, Communication, Dubai, Expertise, Feminism, Gender Equality, Gulf region, Migration, Saudi Arabia, Southwestern Asia, UAE, University, Women's Rights, Youth

مداخلتي منذ قليل في برنامج شبابيك (التلفزيون العربي، لندن) عن حقوق المرأة في الخليج وأسباب هروب فتيات و نساء إلى الخارج. خلاصة القول: لقد عملت هذه الدول في السنوات الأخيرة على سد الفجوة بين الجنسين (التمكين السياسي والتعليم والصحة) ولكن يجب اصلاح عدة قوانين (الأحوال الشخصية، الوصاية…) وتفكيك الذهنية الأبوية 

Alaraby TV (London – UK), Chababik program, 19-02-2019
Full Interview HERE

Can we still build Inclusive Societies in the Middle East without Deep Learning? No…

Arab World, Cultural Studies, Dubai, Education, Lebanon, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Southwestern Asia, UAE, University, Youth

I am sharing here the conclusion of my paper on deep learning in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates:

”One of the challenges that higher education will be facing is the spread of more surface learning versus deep learning, as deep learning can particularly take place in Humanities courses when appropriate education approaches are thought and practiced. I believe that the decision to reduce education (and learning) to a corporate consumer-driven model – providing services to the student-client -, transforms universities into factories or collegelands.

The ability to think critically and independently, to tolerate ambiguity, to see multiple sides of an issue, to deconstruct stereotypes, to appreciate diversity, to look beneath the surface, to dialogue with others on sensitive issues, and therefore the ability that equips us to live in and sustain democracies, to develop peaceful societies united in their diversity, will eventually disappear.

As I am completing the fall semester at the Lebanese American University as a part-time professor of Cultural Studies, I am being told that these courses and other Humanities’ courses will no longer be offered, due to budget cuts. Although my students have stated in their end-of-semester course evaluations their need for such courses and for a pedagogical approach that nurtures deep learning and in particular peacebuilding teaching/learning methods and activities in a country and a region on the verge of further explosion, their voices have not been heard.

I honestly fear that despite the efforts of few professors and educators, and of some youth and local NGOs initiatives, the future that awaits us is either further polarized or monochrome. Alternative narratives, perceptions, and practices that can challenge the ‘norm’ will cease to exist, and students will no longer be engaged to go beyond their disciplines and explore new avenues and skills. Furthermore, the automation of higher education will be contributing to the exacerbation of this reality. I am still struggling from my end and with other activists and pedagogues to build more just and inclusive societies in Southwestern Asia, but I honestly believe that this struggle has already become more arduous”.

Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, ‘Deep Learning in the University Context: Case Studies in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates’, International Journal of Arts and Sciences Refereed Conference Proceedings, 11 (03), 2018, p. 39-48.
www.universitypublications.net/proceedings/1103/pdf/DE8C56.pdf

Learning through Food – Deep Learning in the University Context in the Middle East

Arab World, Culinary Art, Cultural Studies, Culture, Dubai, Education, Food Studies, Gastrodiplomacy, Intercultural Dialogue, Interfaith Dialogue, Interreligious Dialogue, Middle Eastern Studies, Migration, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Southwestern Asia, UAE, University, Youth

For those interested in food and education: this article introduces its readers to an interdisciplinary approach in teaching and learning about cultures of Southwestern Asia and North Africa at the American University in Dubai. Selected as one of the United Arab Emirates Innovation Week’s officially registered activities in 2015, this activity combines anthropology of food, sciences of religions, and irenology and is a major application of the peace education pedagogy I have been developing since 2004. The article also presents the preliminary results of qualitative research on the local food cultures’ experiences of more than 500 students from different backgrounds who are enrolled in diverse Middle Eastern studies courses. In my classrooms, students were exposed to—and they told—stories of families, migrations, assimilation, resistance, hybridity, war, and peace and dealt with issues ranging from cultural appropriation to food security and food as an identity marker and the religious significance and representation of food. Class activities such as live food production (e.g., “Hummus Laboratory”), food storytelling sessions, and food diplomacy activities contributed to their learning of local cultures and building peace. Students reported having acquired visceral experiences of foreignness and familiarization, global identity formation, and intercultural dialogue.

Peace, Islam and the Arts in Dubai

Arab World, Arts, Communication, Culture, Dubai, Education, Intercultural Dialogue, Interfaith Dialogue, Interreligious Dialogue, Islam, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace Arts, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Religions, Southwestern Asia, Tolerance, UAE, Youth

My “Peace, Islam and the Arts in Dubai” was recently published in Hawliyat, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Journal at the University of Balamand, Lebanon. Issue 18, 2017-2018, p. 111-134.

Dr. Chrabieh presents research at 7th International Conference on Food Studies

Arab World, Arts, Culinary Art, Cultural Studies, Dubai, Education, Food Studies, Gastrodiplomacy, Intercultural Dialogue, Interfaith Dialogue, Interreligious Dialogue, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace Arts, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Southwestern Asia, UAE, Youth
Dr. Chrabieh introduces the concept of Peace Education
22/03/2018
AUD School of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Dr. Pamela Chrabieh attended the 7thInternational Conference on Food Studies at Roma Tre University in Rome – Italy and presented a paper entitled ‘Learning through Food at the American University in Dubai: The Case of Middle Eastern Studies Students’ Experiences’.

According to Dr. Chrabieh: “This paper introduces its readers to the Peace Education approach I have been developing since 2004 in the academic sphere in Canada, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to one of its main applications in the classroom: the food component. These approach and component combine Anthropology of Food, Sciences of Religions, Cultural Studies and Irenology. The paper also presents the preliminary results of a qualitative research I have been conducting since 2014 at the American University in Dubai on the food learning experiences and food stories of more than 500 students enrolled in diverse Middle Eastern Studies courses. Students experience(d) conflict foods or foods as bridges across cultures and religions. They told/tell stories impregnated with gustatory nostalgia, whether relived or invented. They explain(ed) how food is an individual and collective identity marker. They also share(d) stories of migration, assimilation, pluralism, resistance and hybridity, while dealing with issues ranging from cultural appropriation to food security, as well as food diplomacy, intercultural dialogue and glocal (global-local) identity formation”.

Dr. Chrabieh concluded her paper with this statement: “It is far a given that food can bring about peace in this region and it is still early to evaluate the long-term impact of learning about cultures, religions and peace through food in the university context, but I can at least state that on a micro level, such as the classroom, and on an interpersonal level, food certainly contributes to deconstructing stereotypes and to bringing people together; therefore, food does prove to be a crucial instrument for a better diversity management and, as Sam Chapple-Sokol puts it, ‘it is a valuable addition to our toolbox as we confront conflicts both old and new’”.

The 7th International Conference on Food Studies was organized by the Food Studies Research Network that is curated by the Common Ground Research Networks. The Food Studies Research Network is brought together around an interest to explore new possibilities for sustainable food production and human nutrition, and associated impacts of food systems on culture.

Hosted by Gustolab International Institute for Food Studies and Roma Tre University , the conference’s scope and concerns were Food and Sustainability; Food, Nutrition and Health; and Food and Politics. Roma Tre University has always shown a tendency towards multidisciplinary research, and recently with a focus on sustainability through a new graduate degree in Innovation and Sustainability and a degree program in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures. As for the Gustolab International Institute for Food Studies, it is a pioneering leader in Italy in developing study abroad and international education programs and research projects on Food Studies. It is the academic headquarters in this country for programs specialized on Food Culture, Communication, and Media and Nutrition for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This Institute has also worked with more than 30 universities on study abroad programs, from the USA to Canada, France and Japan.

Gustolab organized a pre-conference workshop on Studying, Teaching and Doing Research on Food Studies in Italy that Dr. Chrabieh attended. The objective of the workshop was to share and discuss opportunities for study and research in the food field with professors, students, researchers, and independent scholars who are interested in learning about study programs or doing research abroad. Attendees explored topics such as study abroad programs, culinary schools, master programs and internship programs. The material ranged from the social sciences to human, technological, biological, and agroecology sciences.

Dr. Chrabieh concludes with the following: “It is no surprise that the research interests of academics across a wide range of disciplines relate to food in some way. Food is at the center of our lives, cultures and religions, socio-political and legal systems, etc. Scholars in humanities for instance examine issues including the cultural significance and representation of food and food as an identity marker. Food Studies programs are now growing in popularity in North America and Europe. However, misconceptions are still found in our region i.e. Southwestern Asia and North Africa. For instance, the use of food in class is seen as a frivolous or not serious enough praxis. This is quite unfortunate. Food Studies is an important interdisciplinary field of study of food and of its relationship to the human experience that definitely needs to be promoted in local academic circles”.

Further information found on the Conference:
http://food-studies.com/2017-conference

SOURCE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI NEWS http://www.aud.edu/news_events/en/view/1747/current_upcoming/dr-chrabieh-presents-research-at-7th-international-conference-on-food-studies

Voices of Progress. International Women’s Day in Dubai

Arab World, Arts, Culinary Art, Cultural Studies, Culture, Dubai, Education, Feminism, Gender Equality, Intercultural Dialogue, Interreligious Dialogue, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace Arts, Peace Education, Peacebuilding, Southwestern Asia, UAE, Women's Rights, Youth

#internationalwomensday #pressforprogress event organized by Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Dr. Nadia Wardeh and Middle Eastern Studies students at the American University in Dubai on March 8 2018. Video by Farah Hatem and Nadia El Gawish.