Evening With the Author presents: Andrea Rugh and "In Search of Worldviews: What Anthropology Can Tell Us About the Middle East"

About this event

It is increasingly clear that international communication is impossible without basic cultural knowledge. US officials admit as much when they say they failed in Afghanistan and Iraq by introducing too many programs that conflicted with local values. Dr. Andrea Rugh argues that anthropological studies are the best data-driven way to gather accurate information on cultural views in the Middle East. What for example is the proper way to conduct personal relations; why is it so difficult to establish democracy; how do their negotiating patterns differ from ours; while other religions are declining, why is Islam expanding; do Arab women really need saving; how do families raise children and create such cohesive, loyal groups? In other words, how do communal societies in the Middle East work? Dr. Rugh will describe how as an anthropologist, she was able to study the everyday life of local people. She will share vignettes that provide insights into a different way of seeing the world.