Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences will present a lecture by visiting feminist political geographer Jennifer Fluri on March 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 214 of the Zell B. Miller Learning Center. The lecture will focus on gender, security and violence in south and southwest Asia.
Fluri, an associate professor of geography and chair of the women’s and gender studies program at Dartmouth College, will discuss “The Beautiful ‘Other:’ A Critical Examination of ‘Western’ Representations of Afghan Corporeal Modernity.”
The lecture is part of the Franklin Visiting Scholar series and is sponsored by the UGA department of religion, department of geography, the Institute for Women’s Studies and Franklin College’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity Leadership.
Fluri’s research focuses on the geography, politics and economics of gender, security and violence in conflict and post-conflict societies. Her lecture will look at the role of the female body, gender and the Western ideal of beauty during and after the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. Fluri examines how the female body is used to reconstruct new forms of political meaning, social value and economic opportunities in post-conflict Afghanistan.
“Gender, security and violence are tightly linked in post-conflict societies, such as those in southwest Asia,” said Amy Trauger, an assistant professor of geography and Fluri’s host during her visit. “International aid, popular representations of Afghan women and capitalism work together to create a post-conflict nationalism that may not empower the most vulnerable populations. Dr. Fluri will share some new insights from her research in these areas.”
The Franklin Visiting Scholars program assists faculty in bringing outstanding scholars who are also champions of diversity and leaders on their campuses and in their disciplines. The program assists units in developing diverse professional networks for both faculty and graduate student recruitment, development and retention; informs units about effective discipline-based strategies for creating a climate for diversity and inclusion; and assists in developing new collaborations.