Prof. Dr. Silvia Naef, Art Historian and Scholar of Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies, University of Geneva

The modernisation of the 19th century that took place throughout «the Orient», witnessed the introduction of European art forms that gradually replaced the traditional arts predominant in these regions. This lecture will elucidate how, during this initial phase of intersection, the question of modernity was rarely addressed in the Arab world. It was only in the 1940s when the ramifications of modernisation became a public issue strongly characterised by national or nationalistic overtones.

Organiser: Munich Protestant Academy, Open Academy of the Munich Adult Education Centre [Münchner Volkshochschule]