Special Invited Guests |
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In addition to all of the informative plenary addresses, this year’s Annual Meeting features quite a few sessions highlighting special invited guests. Specific session information will be available in the Program Book and the October RSN. Below you will find information on our special invited guests.
Davidson’s scholarship concentrates in contemporary continental philosophy, moral philosophy, the history of theology, and historical epistemology and the history of the human sciences. His publications cover a wide array, ranging from the moral philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, Vladimir Jankelevitch, and Pierre Hadot, to Georges Canguilhem’s philosophy of science. Much of Davidson’s scholarship focuses on the theory of Michel Foucault. Davidson is the editor of several books on or by Foucault including Foucault and His Interlocutors (University of Chicago Press, 1997), “Society Must Be Defended”: Lectures at the College de France, 1975–1976 by Michel Foucault (English series editor, Picador, 2003), Abnormal: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1974–1975 by Michel Foucault (English series editor, Picador, 2003), and The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981–1982 (English series editor, Palgrave MacMillan, 2005). Davidson’s book The Emergence of Sexuality: Historical Epistemology and the Formation of Concepts (Harvard University Press, 2002) applies and develops Foucauldian archeological and genealogical methodological innovations in the development of a method he calls “historical epistemology.” This work consists of essays on epistemology, the history of sexuality and scientific concepts, and the interpretation of Foucault.
One of McClary’s best known works is Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality (second ed., University of Minnesota Press, 2004; originally published 1991), which addresses musical constructions of gender and sexuality, gendered aspects of traditional music theory, gendered sexuality in musical narrative, music as a gendered discourse, and discursive strategies of women musicians. McClary set the feminist arguments of her early book in a broader sociopolitical context with Conventional Wisdom: The Content of Musical Form (University of California Press, 2000). In it, she argues that the traditional musicological assumption of the existence of “purely musical” elements, divorced from culture and meaning, the social and the body, is a conceit used to veil the social and political imperatives of the worldview that produces the classical canon most prized by supposedly objective musicologists. But McClary does not ignore the “purely musical” in favor of cultural issues, incorporating it into her analysis. She examines the creation of meanings and identities, some oppressive and hegemonic, some affirmative and resistant, in music through the referencing of musical conventions in the blues, Vivaldi, Prince, Philip Glass, and others.
Raheb was born in Bethlehem in 1962. He pursued his higher education in Germany, first at Hermannsburg Mission Seminary (1980–1984) and then at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany (1984–1988), where he completed his graduate studies including a doctorate in theology. He returned to Bethlehem in 1988 to serve as the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church (Christmas Lutheran Church) and serve as the managing editor of the Al-Liqa’ Journal for religious and heritage studies in the Holy Land (1992–1996). The Diyar Consortium is an umbrella organization that is responsible for the administration of its component institutions— the ICB, the Dar Al-Kalima Health and Wellness Center, and the Dar Al-Kalima College. The word “diyar” means “house” or “homeland” in Arabic. It is headed by its president, Raheb, who is responsible for the overall vision of the consortium and securing funds for continuous growth. Raheb has written thirteen books and numerous articles on issues relating to interfaith dialogue, social transformation, contextual theology, and culture.
The conflict between Toscano’s beliefs and sexuality led him to consider suicide. He has stated that his experiences in ex-gay programs “felt like…a biblically-induced coma.” He came out as a gay man in December 1998 and now presents his LGBT-affirming message through theater and talks at universities, schools, conferences, churches, gay clubs, theaters, and online (through blogs and YouTube videos). In a 2009 interview Toscano explained, “I had an aversion to being gay because of the aversion I experienced in the world around me. Now I see that a gay orientation and gender diversity are normal phenomena in the natural world and throughout human history.” Toscano performs original one-person comedies that often draw on his own experiences. In his plays he incorporates Biblical texts, historical events, interviews he has conducted, and poetry. Toscano’s performance style incorporates character acting, comedy, storytelling, and drama.
Nashashibi has lectured across the United States and Europe on a range of topics related to American Muslim identity, community activism, and social justice issues. He is a recipient of several prestigious community service and organizing honors, including the Norman R. Bobins Fellowship presented at the most recent Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. |