Arabic Oration: Art and Function with Tahera Qutbuddin

UChicago Center for Middle Eastern Studies

In this episode of “Ventures,” Professor Tahera Qutbuddin discusses her recently published book, Arabic Oration: Art and Function. Qutbuddin’s book, 10 years in the making, presents theoretical tools to analyze speeches and sermons given in the early Islamic period, from the 7th to 8th centuries AD. Though the book’s true scope is enormous, Qutbuddin also analyzes modern day orations, from Friday sermons she attended at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, to speeches by ISIS leaders she viewed on YouTube. Interview by Erin Atwell. Ideas and opinions expressed in the episode belong to the participants, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Chicago Center for Middle Eastern Studies.