[Here's an introduction from Salwa Ghaly. Many of the original 120 list
members know of one another from the 'Exploring Cyber Society Conference',
however there are now about 380 list members, so if any one would like to
introduce themselves please feel free to do so.]

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Salwa Ghaly [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 24 May 2000 05:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: For moderation - Ghaly: self-introduction


 Greetings to all list members from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates!

My name is Salwa Ghaly and I teach English literature at the University
of  Sharjah.  The question "where are you from?" has always caused me a
mini existential crisis of sorts, because as a woman who "comes from"
the Arab world, a much misunderstood and maligned region, I resent
giving someone the chance to fit me snugly into a pre-packaged
all-too-often negative stereotype  Also, (this will sound so deja vecu
for many of you) having lived in four different countries, I do not have
a clear sense of belonging to any one "nation" or even language.
However, I don't see myself in a diasporic light; nor do I consider
myself *trapped* in any exilic condition:  rather, I feel privileged to
have the opportunity to get inspired by, and utilize, many good
ideas/models/concepts irrespective of their cultural provenance.

 In 1988 I finished a Ph.D. in comparative literature in the area of
medieval
 studies.  I then went on to teach cultural studies and English
literature at the
 American University of Beirut.  The war that was still raging there at
the time
 roughened me quite a bit.  Only a cynic or someone who saw life as
carnivalesque
 could peddle such academic wares or maintain research interest in them
in the
 Lebanon of that day, so I had to fall back on the literary theory I had
imbibed
 in my carefree pre-Lebanon days!  I was looking for ways to empower
myself and my
 students, some peg to latch on to....

 Since then, I have been struggling to reconcile in my mind the
"postmodern
 condition," a fact of life, and our individual and collective need to
embrace a
 new life-giving code of values that can help us construct a better
future (not a
 cliché, but an ever so timely  NEED)...  I think it is high time we saw
the
 poststructuralist legacy in a proper historical perspective, one that
would
 grapple with the reasons why so many of the icons of this "movement"
were (or
 professed to be) uncommitted politically, why so many wars of egos were
waged
 among the gurus who, in the final analysis, like Voltaire and Rousseau
now
 reconciled in death in the Pantheon, shared a great deal in common and
were the
 products of the same moment....  Through hindsight, it baffles one that
so much
 acrimony existed among people who were, if not saying the same thing,
then
 complementing each others' visions.  In some fundamental ways, the
 poststructuralist "agenda"  was at once salutary and liberating, but
what
 academics can no longer afford to ignore is this "hors texte".

 Of course, the new cyber realities have to be brought to bear upon how
we
 envision the future and the role of cultural theory, how we view
 subjectivity/identity etc.  I look forward to hearing different
perspectives on
 how we can marshal cyber space in the service of humans, how the weak
and most
 vulnerable among us can be helped/protected though Net activism, cyber
feminism
etc.  The messages I received over the past couple of days hold a great
deal of promise....

 Regards to all,

 Salwa  Ghaly
 Assistant Professor
 University of Sharjah
 UAE

 Office:    +971-6-5050681
 Mobile:  +971-50-635 9252
 e-mail:    [log in to unmask]






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