NYUAD Institute

In the Arab Gulf, air-conditioning consumes about 60% of the domestic consumption of electricity. Yet, the ascendency of this technology is far from simple. Beyond simply providing coolness, air-conditioning transformed life as people knew it. In a remarkably short period of time, this seemingly innocent device reshaped houses, cities, practices of daily life, social relations, and even, bodies. T...

This talk explores the significance of communal efforts in capturing history by focusing on the concept of "community archives," that is, archives created by and for groups within a given community who seek to take a more active role in jointly preserving the documentation of their shared past. Through talks presented by two noted scholars in this field, this event will look at how this emerging m...

Evaluating historical leadership effectiveness poses challenges, particularly when analyzing figures like the blessed Islamic Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a military leader involved in wars that created new power structures and a prophet who ushered in dramatically original and transformational ways of understanding monotheistic religion and its relationship with politics. Records often bear the bias of th...

Join us for an engaging evening with Francisco Goldman, a distinguished and multi-award-winning author renowned for his remarkable contributions to both fiction and nonfiction literature. In this captivating talk, Goldman delves into the pages of his latest novel, Monkey Boy, a literary masterpiece celebrated by The New Yorker critic James Woods for its infusion of rebellious comedy and vitality....

Key figures involved in The Arts Center’s creation explore the significance and meaning of arts documentation while reflecting on their collaborative journey capturing seven years of The Arts Center’s history. They offer unique perspectives on their approaches and their individual and collective contributions toward this effort. Speakers Waleed Shah, Photographer, Creative Thinker, and Entrepreneu...

This talk explores the groundbreaking achievements of our ancestors in ancient Abu Dhabi, highlighting the complexity and significance of their pioneering innovations in archaeology. Discover the techniques and methods employed by ancient societies to craft stone axes, domesticate animals, transport goods over long distances, and develop bronze, humanity's first composite artificial material. The...

This talk explores the profound insights of Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, an intellectual luminary who connected Aristotle's teachings with the emerging scientific method. Al-Baghdadi's meticulous observations of Egypt from eight centuries ago illuminate its diverse flora, fauna, and cultural intricacies. At the same time, they chronicle the challenges of famine and societal disruption in Cairo. Throu...

Presenting two captivating works by director Ursula Biemann, explore the profound connections of Indigenous communities to their natural environments. In the enthralling oceanic journey titled "Acoustic Ocean," we are transported to the Arctic Islands of Lofoten. Here, a scientist delves into the realm of acoustic ecology, probing the mysteries of the oceans and forging connections across species....

The explosion at Beirut's port in 2020 wreaked havoc on the American University of Beirut (AUB) Archaeological Museum, shattering 72 valuable glass artifacts. This talk reveals the story of these vessels' journey from Beirut to the British Museum in London, through their recovery, conservation, and exhibition phases. And it underscores the pivotal role of international collaboration, training, and...

Dr. Raja Al Gurg is one of the most successful businesswomen in the Arab world. Discover the insights behind her latest book, The Power of Authenticity: Three Principles of Leadership Success, as she unveils the challenges and triumphs that paved her path to becoming a prominent Emirati businesswoman. With a legacy as Chairperson and Managing Director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, Dr. Al Gurg's jou...

Al-Andalus is often depicted as a site of particular religious tolerance, and the twelfth century as its denouement, with foreign interlopers locked in holy war. Ibn Mardanīsh (r. 1147-72), known as the Wolf King, complicates narratives of religious enmity and of al-Andalus' distinct culture. This talk, based on the recently published book The Wolf King: Ibn Mardanīsh and the Construction of Power...

The life of a marine turtle is a struggle for survival from the day they hatch, facing obstacles, natural predators, and various anthropogenic threats. Climate change exposes marine turtles to even more significant existential threats. Our warming climate may be driving marine turtles into extinction. But what does this mean for turtles along the warmest sea in the world? This presenter will provi...

This talk focuses on the issue of urban mobility and the associated traffic congestion that is a concern in cities worldwide. With the increasing urban population and motorization rates, it is expected that congestion levels will continue to rise, along with negative externalities. The talk explores whether it is possible to predict how congestion spreads in a city, to develop proactive mitigation...

By 1535, the Ottoman Empire gained control of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from mountain to sea. This talk discusses the ramifications of this drastic political transition in the history of the longest rivers in West Asia. Above all, the unification of the Tigris and Euphrates allowed the Ottomans to rebalance a deep natural resource disparity along their eastern frontier, enabling them to move...

This talk explores the fascinating world of crystals and their role in biology and medicine. Crystals have always been admired for their beauty and value, and many believe they have powerful, magic properties. They play critical roles in various biological processes, such as supporting bones, grinding food, protecting shells, and more. However, crystals can also lead to diseases like kidney stones...

Living in a land situated in one of the edges of the Islamic world, the inhabitants of al-Andalus saw themselves as somewhat isolated, an island surrounded both by the sea and the Christians. Their scholars exerted themselves to keep contact with the central lands of Islam by performing the travel of study (riḥla fī ṭalab al-ʽilm), bringing back books and ideas produced elsewhere. The traveling of...

This panel delves into the 20th century architectural production in the modernization era of the Arabian Gulf and its impact on the notions of locality, cosmopolitanism, and modernity. The speakers will examine the initiatives that have re-engaged with the ville moderne and reflect on the role of the urban fabric in narrating social growth, East–West dynamics, and citizens’ memories. The panel exp...

The role of Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) in bringing about a revolution in almost all aspects of human life needs no introduction. It is indeed a well-known fact that the transmission of the information at a rapid pace has transformed all spheres of human life such as economy, education, and health to name a few. In this context, this talk aims to: provide an envisioned picture of 6...

This talk will examine the question of whether life existed on Mars and its transformation from a warm, wet planet to a cold, dry desert world. The speaker will discuss the Emirates Mars Mission, also known as the "Hope" probe, which is providing insight into the surface and atmospheric processes of Mars. The Mars research group at NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Space Science is analyzing data from th...

Recent research has yielded a much better understanding of how aging happens and how it leads to the ills of old age. There is now a lot of interest in tackling human aging to prevent, delay, or compress the unhealthy period at the end of life. In laboratory animals it turns out to be possible to target aging with diet and with existing drugs to promote better health in late life. So, what if gett...

This talk charts out an oceanic microhistory, grounded in the voyages of the dhow called The Crooked from the port of Kuwait, captained by the Nakhoda ‘Abdulmajeed Al-Failakawi. It anchors itself in Al-Failakawi’s logbook and looks out from the deck of the dhow onto a world of texts, letters, accounts, and other writings by Nakhodas. From these writings we can gather histories that have been scatt...

The Cairo Genizah is a collection of Jewish manuscripts from the Middle Ages found in an ancient synagogue in Al-Fustat, Egypt. It is a valuable resource for understanding the history, culture, and everyday life of Jews in the medieval Islamic world. Recently, it has been recognized for its significance in the study of Arabic literature and culture, as Jews in the Genizah also wrote and copied poe...

This talk analyzes the different representations of the Moriscos’ history in Spanish and Arab thought from the early modern era to today. First, it examines the evolution of the presence of this history in the literature and historic texts of the Spanish golden age (XVIe-XVIIe centuries). Secondly, it studies Spanish and Arab treatment of the subject in the XVIIIe and XIXe centuries, which means t...

نحاول من خلال هذه المحاضرة تحليل مُختلف التمثلات الإسبانية والعربية للتاريخ الموريسكي منذ بداية الفترة الحديثة إلى اليوم. بدايةً، سنحاول البحث في تطور حضور هذا التاريخ في النصوص الأدبية والإخبارية الإسبانية للعصر الذهبي (القرنين 16 و 17). ثانياً، سندرس التناول الإسباني والعربي للمسألة في القرنين الثامن عشر والتاسع عشر، أي من خلال النصوص ذات الطبيعة التاريخية، الجرائد، أدب الرحلة، الروايات والمسرحي...

Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins traces Palestinians’ experiences of waste to explore what their improvisations for mitigating the effects of what she calls a “waste siege” can tell us about Palestinians’ approaches to time and collectivity today. She describes a series of conditions: from smelling wastes to negotiating military infrastructures, from biopolitical forms of colonial rule to experiences...