Listen "Curator Hiba Abid | Niyū Yūrk at the New York Public Library"
Episode Synopsis
Curator of "Niyū Yūrk: Middle Eastern and North African Lives in the City", Hiba Abid, joins us to talk about the exhibition, housed at the New York Public Library's iconic 42nd Street building, which challenges dominant narratives by presenting New York as a city deeply intertwined with Middle Eastern and North African history and culture. Abid delves into the diverse stories of immigration, the often-overlooked North African presence, and the revolution in Arabic publishing in New York. Through fascinating primary documents and personal stories, the discussion explores everything from the surprising origins of the Statue of Liberty to early 20th-century American citizenship guides published in Arabic, revealing the long, complex, and vibrant history of Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. The exhibition remains until March 8, 2026. On December 5, is a Middle Eastern/North African take over of the flagship building of the NYPL that's not to be missed 👉https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/niyu-yurk 0:00 Introduction1:18 Meet Hiba Abid and the NYPL Exhibition Title2:16 The Exhibition's Core Idea and Historical Scope5:41 Is New York a Middle Eastern City?6:33 The Arab Roots of the Statue of Liberty9:15 The 1910 Portrait of Mohamed Juda and Early Exclusion12:34 Citizenship Guides for Early Arab Immigrants16:45 Amplifying North African Stories in New York20:47 Photography and a History of Arab Tattoos24:19 The Explosion of Arabic Publishing in New York28:27 Assimilation and Critique: Arab Views of America31:14 "America Ya Hilwa": An Arab Immigrant's Bid for the US National Anthem42:06 Salloum Mokarzel and the Arabic Linotype Revolution43:25 A 1917 Menu from a Syrian Restaurant in New York46:25 Confronting Anti-Arab Sentiment Through Archives51:53 Upcoming NYPL Middle Eastern/North African Takeover Event Hiba Abid oversees the New York Public Library’s collections of general and special materials produced in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and diasporic communities in the United States. Before joining NYPL, she taught courses on Islamic manuscripts and material culture at New York University’s Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts. She has also served as an Associate Researcher at the National Library of France, and contributed to exhibitions at the Louvre Museum, the Musée des Augustins, and Le 32bis: Center for Contemporary Art in Tunis. Hiba Abid received her MA in Art History from the Sorbonne University in Paris and PhD in Islamic Art History, Codicology and Philology from the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris.Connect with Hiba Abid 👉 https://instagram.com/nypl_archives
Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gbFOLLOW & RATE THE AFIKRA PODCAST:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/lb/podcast/the-afikra-podcast/id1529437743» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nafoF1Zs7F48mGZjlhrze» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014643869THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5xaTkBDrUKLCulvoCE8ubX&feature=sharedABOUT AFIKRAafikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gbFOLLOW & RATE THE AFIKRA PODCAST:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/lb/podcast/the-afikra-podcast/id1529437743» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nafoF1Zs7F48mGZjlhrze» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014643869THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5xaTkBDrUKLCulvoCE8ubX&feature=sharedABOUT AFIKRAafikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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