Memory & Counter-Memories, Revolutions & Counter-Revolutions
Mériam Belli
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Weekly film series presents - either satirically, tragically, or by way of documentary - recollections of revolutions/counter-revolutions, which offer counter-narratives to official, established, or mainstream historical narratives: 12:08, a comic rendering of the 1989 Romanian non-revolution; The Hidden Half a sympathetic portrayal of non-Islamist revolutionary groups during the "Spring of Tehran"; The World Stopped Watching questions the becoming of the revolution in Nicaragua; and The Red and the White offers an alternative account of the Russian Revolution.
Contact: Mériam Belli, E51-178, x3-9621, meriam@mit.edu
Tahmineh Milani, The Hidden Half (Iran, 2001)
Mériam Belli
Fereshteh recalls revolutionary days in the wake of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, as her husband, a judge, has to adjucate a female political prisoner. Feminist filmmaker T. Milani was arrested "on charges of 'supporting those waging war against God'[revealing]how central questions of [...] contested national memory have become in the struggles being waged for democratic change & freedoms in Iran." (Scullion, 2006)
Wed Jan 9, 05:30-08:30pm, Room 3-133
Corneliu Porumboliu, 12:08 East of Bucharest (Romania, 2006)
Dan Andrei Iancu
This comedy won the prize for best first feature at Cannes in 2006. A Romanian television series host organizes a show about the 1989 "revolution" which, 16 years earlier, overthrew Nicolae Ceausescu's Communist government. The show turns satirical comedy when the show's guests prove to be suspicious characters, and that call-in viewers express their dissenting opinions about the events.
Wed Jan 16, 05:30-08:30pm, Room 3-270
Peter Raymont, The World Stopped Watching (USA, 2003)
Jeffrey Ravel
"14 years later, filmmakers Raymont and Crooks return to Nicaragua with two American journalists (in the original film) and a Canadian journalist, La Presse - to discover what became of the first revolution conducted in the glare of the world media. They question the role/responsibility of journalists & their employers who first put Nicaraguans under the microscope."
http://www.frif.com/new2003/wsw.html
Wed Jan 23, 05:30-08:30pm, Room 3-133
Miklós Janscó, The Red and the White (Hungary, 1968)
Elizabeth Wood
"Set in central Russia during the civil war of 1918, its narrative describes the bloody battles between the red revolutionary troops and the counter-revolutionary whites in the hills along the Volga. ... There is little in the way of a screenplay, but the commentary on war and the abuse of power is eloquent enough to make words seem unnecessary."
http://film.guardian.co.uk/filmedinburgh2003/story/0,,1018635,00.html
Wed Jan 30, 05:30-08:30pm, Room 32-155
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Old Food: Ancient and Medieval Cooking
Anne McCants, Margo Collett, Meriam Belli
Sat Jan 12, 12-07:00pm, Next House Kitchen
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2008
Single session event
Prereq: Stomach and sense of humor
Interested in gnawing on greasy lamb shanks? Perhaps you prefer vetches, oats and spelt-cakes? How about fermented fish sauce? Come join us for an afternoon of good old--and we mean REALLY old--fashioned ancient & medieval cookery. We will prepare, cook, and eat medieval foods from both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. Preparations will involve the use of authentic period recipe-books. You are invited to join us for this afternoon of fun and feasting. For those with more academic interests we will have sources available for your reading pleasure--or horror. If you plan to arrive later than the start time, please indicate this when registering. Location:Next House, Country Kitchen
Contact: Anne McCants, E51-293, x8-6669, amccants@mit.edu
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The Distaff Arts: Medieval Clothing Technology
Anne McCants, Margo Collett, Miranda Knutson
Tue Jan 22 thru Fri Jan 25, 10am-04:00pm, E51-095
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 10-Jan-2008
Limited to 15 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
This course explores a wide range of medieval textile and clothing production technologies, offering students hands on experience in their use. We will work with a raw fleece; card and spin the wool; use simple looms to weave a belt; dye a variety of fabrics; and design/construct a single garment - either a cloak or tunic. All materials provided - students must commit to all 4 days of class.
This course will question typical characterization of medieval textile work as unskilled, as well as consider distinctions usually made between activities labeled as crafts versus those labeled as art.
Contact: Anne E. C. McCants, E51-293, 258-6669, amccants@mit.edu
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