Paulina Banas - Nineteenth-Century Travel, Collaboration, and Orientalist Publishing on Egypt

Join us for an insightful lecture by Paulina Banas, an assistant professor of art history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 🌍 This talk will delve into how the nineteenth-century European travel and publishing industries shaped perceptions of Egypt and the Middle East.

Drawing upon illustrations from Cairo and the Nile Valley, Paulina will discuss the intricate politics of collaboration among key figures, including Dutch draughtsman Willem De Famars Testas and French author Émile Prisse d’Avennes. She will illuminate the transformation of Egypt’s image, market, and book industry from the late 1830s to the late 1870s. 🖼️

Through this analysis, we will uncover how the intersections of arts, commerce, and imperial power contributed to the distinctive “citationary” character of Orientalist visual culture.

For those interested, Paulina's latest book, Visualizing Egypt: European Travel, Book Publishing, and the Commercialization of the Middle East in the Nineteenth Century, published by the American University in Cairo Press, is a must-read!

📅 Note:

• The lecture starts at 6 PM
• Doors open at 5:30 PM and will close at 6:15 PM or earlier if full.
• Limited seating available!
• Can't attend in person? Join us on Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting
  • Meeting ID: 847 9069 3397
  • Passcode: 073126