Andrea Rugh
Author

"Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey Into the Middle East"
(Potomac Press, 2009)

Discussing:

Writing on Culture: The Missing Factor in
Discussions on the Middle East

The Middle East Institute is proud to host MEI scholar Andrea Rugh for a discussion about Middle Eastern culture and her most recent book, Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey Into the Middle East. Since US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the importance of culture has become all too clear. Yet, although most scholars agree on its importance, few address culture in ways that provide better understanding to audiences who might benefit, such as policy makers, the media and the American public.


For more than a decade Dr. Rugh has been trying to insert the cultural element back into discussions about the larger Middle East. Rugh will discuss her two most recent books, Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey Into the Middle East (2009) and The Political Culture of Leadership in the United Arab Emirates (2007). In The Political Culture book Rugh examines the 200 year history of the seven Emirates of the UAE and illustrates how political behaviors were shaped by cultural expectations about the way rulers should rule. While many scholars on the Gulf focus on Western political and strategic interests, and the impact of oil, Rugh instead looks at the patterns of interpersonal behavior among rulers and their constituents to show how the political system transformed from an egalitarian to an authoritarian one in a very short time.


In her most recent book, Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey Into the Middle East, Rugh goes further to present culture to a  broader general audience. She does this through a personal account of her experiences of living and working in the Middle East over 40 years, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. The book depicts the difficulties of understanding culture and the incremental way insights build up over time. The book serves as a response to the question: "How do you communicate the essence of culture in a meaningful way?" Rugh's answer suggests that culture is best understood by observing the people and extrapolating the mental frameworks that shape their behaviors.


BIO:
Andrea Rugh is a scholar at the Middle East Institute and an expert on development, cultural and women's Issues in the Middle East. She has served as a technical advisor on development projects for international agencies in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen since 1978. She has published a number of technical reports and research studies for UNICEF and USAID. She was a research associate for the Harvard Institute of International Development from 1987 to 1994 working in Pakistan, and later worked for Save the Children and UNICEF from 1998 to 2002 on Afghan education. Over a period of 40 years residence and work in countries of the region she has written several notable works on Middle Eastern culture and society including, Family in Contemporary Egypt (1984), Reveal and Conceal: Dress in Egypt  (1986), Within the Circle: Parents and Children in an Arab Village (1997), The Political Culture of Leadership in the United Arab Emirates (2007) and Simple Gestures: A Cultural Journey Into the Middle East (2009) and two translations Daughter of Damascus (1994) and  Folktales of Syria (2004).

 

Because of the popularity of MEI programs and limited seating, MEI anticipates a capacity audience for the program.  MEI wishes to accommodate all registered guests but will give MEI members and supporters priority seating.  We encourage you to become an MEI member if you wish to avoid sitting in the overflow room. Early arrival for all is encouraged.