Most recent articles by Tuğrul von Mende
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"Postmuslim" by Youssef RakhaOne author, multiple selves
"Postmuslim" is an intimate new collection of essays in English by Youssef Rakha. The Egyptian author explores his complex relationship with the West while tracing his intellectual evolution over several decades.
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Egyptian author Youssef Rakha"The Cairo I've known is being eroded"
Youssef Rakha revisits Egypt's 2011 uprising and its aftermath in "The Dissenters", the author's first novel written in English. The Arab Spring failed, he argues in this interview, because it was a neoliberal movement with no compelling vision for the future.
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Sunnis and Shias in IslamHow the Sunni-Shia split shaped the Islamic world throughout history
Toby Matthiesen's new book, "The Caliph and the Imam", explores both the origins of the Sunni-Shia divide, what the two branches of Islam have in common and how the split has shaped the Islamic world
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Islamic feminismEvolving gender rights
In her latest book – "Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam" – legal anthropologist and activist Ziba Mir-Hosseini talks to six leading Muslim reformists about gender, women's rights and the latter's evolution over time. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
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Muslims and Jews in the MaghrebA whispered history
The history of Jews and Muslims is far more entangled than you might imagine – but you have to listen out for it. In "Recording History", Christopher Silver takes us on a sonic journey into twentieth-century North Africa, to a forgotten world of records and recording artists – and the music that defined an era. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
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Egyptian army and the Muslim BrotherhoodCompetitors in common
Sara Tonsy’s latest book "The Egyptian Army and the Muslim Brotherhood: Contemporary Political Power Dynamics" examines the long-standing rivalry between these two highly influential factions. In interview with Tugrul von Mende she focuses on the relationship between them and what it means for Egyptian society
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Interview with Asef BayatExamining the Arab Spring revolutions from within
Asef Bayat, professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has been studying revolutions and how they affect people since 1979. In his recent book, "Revolutionary Life: The Everyday of the Arab Spring", Bayat takes a new approach to studying revolutions by focusing on how they affect citizens in their everyday lives. Tugrul von Mende spoke to him about how his understanding of revolutions has changed over the past 20 years
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Interview with Prof Timothy BrennanWhy Edward Said still matters
Professor Timothy Brennan's "Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said" is a detailed biography of one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century, taking us on a journey from Edward Said's childhood in the Middle East to his public and academic life in the United States. In this interview with Tugrul von Mende, Brennan describes the challenges of writing about the many different aspects of Edward Said's life
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Interview with political scientist Abdalhadi AlijlaTrust in the state is a precious commodity
In his most recent book, "Trust in Divided Societies: State, Institutions and Governance in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine", political scientist Abdalhadi Alijla writes that not culture, but the failure of state institutions is what is causing the crisis of statehood in the Middle East. In this interview with Tugrul von Mende, Alijla argues for the reconfiguration of incompetent state bodies as a means of regaining the public's trust
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Interview with Hamid DabashiEurope’s coloniality persists after the fall of empire
An interview with the Iranian-American historian and cultural philosopher Hamid Dabashi about writing, Europe's past and present, right-wing populism and the Arab uprisings. By Tugrul Mende
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Syrian-Philippino rapper Nasser ShorbajiHip-hopping between generations
Nasser Shorbaji, aka Chyno, has been active on the Lebanese hip-hop scene for more than eight years now. His trademark sound is anti-war, against the dispossession and enforced exile of people in the region. It is a message that has influenced many younger generation musicians – a group he is particularly keen to encourage. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
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Interview with director Tamer El Said"In the Last Days of the City": Between light and dark
″In the Last Days of the City″ is Egyptian director Tamer El Said′s debut film. Although it premiered to great acclaim at the 2016 Berlinale and has gone on to win more than ten awards, it is still hasn't been released in Egypt. Tugrul von Mende spoke to El Said as the film opened in Germany