MEALC hosts “Talks on the Arab World” event

The Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures, within the Faculty of Arts, hosted “Talks on the Arab World,” an academic event bringing together three Arabists whose work explores different aspects of Arabic culture, history, literature, and performance.

Held on 2 June 2026, the event featured Dr Emanuela De Blasio from the University of Tuscia, Prof. Angela Daiana Langone from the University of Cagliari, and Dr Maura Tarquini, also from the University of Cagliari. This event was coordinated by Dr Kurstin Gatt, Senior Lecturer within MEALC and financially supported by the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Programme.

The first lecture, delivered by Dr Emanuela De Blasio, was titled “Comics in the Contemporary Arab World: The Syrian Case.” Dr De Blasio discussed the development of comics as a powerful cultural and artistic form in the Arab world, with particular attention to Syria. Her talk explored how comics can function not only as a form of visual storytelling but also as a tool for political resistance, social commentary, and cultural expression. The discussion showed how Syrian artists and writers have used comics to address political violence, social transformation, and the lived experience of conflict.

The second lecture, delivered by Prof. Angela Daiana Langone, was titled “Arabs and Sardinia.” Prof. Langone explored the long-standing relations between Sardinia and the Arab world, moving beyond the idea of the island as a marginal space in Mediterranean history. Her lecture addressed historical, linguistic, and cultural connections, including references to Arabic sources and the traces left by these encounters. Particular attention was given to the Arabic newspaper al-Mustaqill (“The Independent”).

The third lecture, delivered by Dr Maura Tarquini, was titled “Popular Performance in 20th-Century Tunisia.” Her presentation focused on cultural interplay in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Tunisia, including multilingual performance traditions and the use of Sabir, the Mediterranean lingua franca, in the work of Kaddour Ben Nitram. Dr Tarquini also discussed traditional puppetry performances in Southern Europe and the wider Mediterranean, showing how popular entertainment forms travelled across linguistic, cultural, and political boundaries.

The three talks offered those present an opportunity to reflect on the Arab world through a broad interdisciplinary lens, showing how comics, newspapers, theatre, language, and popular performance can be used to study political expression, cultural exchange, and historical memory.

The Department thanks Dr Emanuela De Blasio, Prof. Angela Daiana Langone, and Dr Maura Tarquini for their stimulating contributions, and all those who attended and participated in the discussion.