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PORTLAND, Maine

UNE Center for Global Humanities hosts lecture on “Muslim Fashion and Global Politics”

Reina Lewis
Reina Lewis

As recent news stories have focused on the French high court’s repudiation of France’s "burkini ban" and on Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the US, a funny thing has happened in the world of Muslim fashion outside the light of public scrutiny: A niche market for Muslim clothing has developed around the globe, catering to women of all religious sensibilities who wish to dress modestly, but also fashionably.   

In a lecture at the University of New England Center for Global Humanities, titled "Muslim Fashion and Global Politics," scholar Reina Lewis will discuss this phenomenon. The lecture will take place on Monday, September 26 at 6 p.m. at the WCHP Lecture Hall in Parker Pavilion on the UNE Portland Campus.

Lewis, who is a professor of cultural studies at the London College of Fashion, will reveal how a women-led movement has used the internet to facilitate commerce and commentary, explaining how designers, creative entrepreneurs, bloggers and social media mavens have become important tastemakers whose images and opinions cross the world. As these women create and promote styles that claim more and more space in consumers’ wardrobes, however, they continue to be excluded from the mainstream fashion and policy-making communities. 

The author of Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures and other books, Lewis is a frequent media commentator -- most recently in the New York Times, Le Monde, BBC World, BBC Radio, CBC radio, The Guardian, The Times, Marie-Claire magazine, Elle Brazil, Fortune.com and the Huffington Post. She also convenes the public talk series "Faith and Fashion" at the London College of Fashion.

Since its founding in 2009 by UNE cultural studies scholar Anouar Majid, the University of New England Center for Global Humanities has brought leading thinkers from around the globe to Portland to share their expertise with students and a diverse audience of community members. The lectures explore some of the most pressing issues facing humanity today. They are free and open to the public, and are streamed live online so that students at UNE’s campus in Tangier, Morocco, and people around the globe can watch them.

For more information on the event, visit https://www.une.edu/calendar/2016/muslim-fashion-and-global-politics.

To learn more about the Center for Global Humanities, visit www.une.edu/cgh

 

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.