ENHG Lecture: Sounding Home: Syrian Migrant Musicians from Syria to Scandinavia

In this talk, generously hosted by Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, Dr. Jonathan H. Shannon will discuss lives of displaced Syrian musicians in Turkey, Italy, Germany, Holland, and Sweden, with a special focus on the role of music plays in their lives, and how displacement has led to changes in the music. He especially highlights the creative agency of displaced Syrians to counter common images of trauma, victimhood, and dependency.  

Kindly note: the talk will be OUTSIDE in the Olive Garden venue, so please dress for the weather! As always, the lecture will start at 7:30, with doors opening at 7:00.

About the Speaker Jonathan H. Shannon is Visiting Professor of Anthropology and Program Head for Arab Crossroads Studies, NYU Abu Dhabi, and Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York. He earned his B.A. in English Literature from Stanford University and the Ph.D. in Anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center. His research and writing focus on aesthetics and music performance in the Mediterranean and Arab world, with a special focus on Syria, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey. He is the author of numerous articles, two scholarly monographs (Among the Jasmine Trees: Music and Modernity in Contemporary Syria, 2006; Performing al-Andalus: Music and Nostalgia across the Mediterranean, 2015), and a novel (A Wintry Day in Damascus: Syrian Stories, 2012). Shannon is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including from Fulbright and Guggenheim. He is currently working on two projects: a book on Syrian migrant musicians from Syria to Scandinavia, and a collection of essays on itineraries of sounds, spices, and poetry around the Mediterranean. In addition, he performs on the oud (Arabian lute) and saxophone, and is an enthusiastic novice cellist.