INTS-Sponsored Speakers and Events

2023 Speakers & Events

State Adoption of Islamic Doctrine and Women’s Economic Rights

Fatima Rahman, PhD (SUA), 14 March 2023

Islam provides counteracting rules on women’s economic rights. While the Quran explicitly allows women to seek employment and maintain full control of their income, Sharia prescribes gendered norms, in which men are primarily breadwinners and women homemakers. Similarly, while Sharia does not explicitly stop women from working outside of the home, it recognizes potential spousal disapproval. Unlike other areas in which Islamic doctrine’s effect on gender equality is predictable, its impact on women’s economic rights is ambiguous. Using cross-national data from 1990-2014, Dr. Rahman examines the effect of state adopted Islamic doctrine on women’s economic rights in the population of Muslim-majority states.

Brazilian Capoeira and the Black Atlantic

Bruno Andrade (UCLA Professor), 7 March 2023

Capoeira is sometimes called martial art and sometimes a dance. It is also a musical tradition deeply rooted in the African diaspora. Professor Bruno Andrade will explain capoeira’s meaning in the Black Atlantic and its importance to Brazil. 

Following a short lecture, participants may get on their feet and learn the “jinga,” one of the basic steps of capoeira. Unique musical instruments, like the berimbau, will also be on display.

Bruno Andrade has two PhDs, one in Postcolonialisms and Global Citizenship from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and another in Law from the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil. Dr. Andrade is a visiting instructor at UCLA. He is on leave form his faculty position at the Brazilian federal university UNILAB, which serves students in from the former Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. After many years of practice, Dr. Andrade has attained the level of professor in Capoeira Angola.

International Journalism, Cybermedia, and American Media on China: An Informal Chat

Tom Plate (Journalist), 21 February 2023

Veteran American journalist Tom Plate shares his experiences reporting from and on Southeast Asia and China. A former editor at the Los Angeles Times and contributor to the South China Morning Post, Mr. Plate has interviewed several Asian leaders as part of the Giants of Asia book series. In this talk, Mr. Plate will share his experience in conducting interviews, reporting on Asia to American audiences, the changing nature of journalism in the internet age, and current perspectives on relations with China.