The University of Winnipeg welcomes Dr. Aria Nakissa and Dr. Lenore Szekely to the Department of Religion and Culture, Faculty of Arts.
Dr. Aria Nakissa
Assistant Professor Nakissa’s specialization is in Islamic law with respect to the relationship between bodily practice and legal interpretation in both liberal and Islamic juristic discourses. Nakissa holds a joint PhD from Harvard University in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies. He also holds a law degree (JD) from Harvard Law School and an MA in Islamic Law from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. Currently he is completing a book manuscript exploring how bodily discipline informs juristic reasoning and technical legal doctrine among Muslim religious scholars at Egypt’s al-Azhar University.
“The University of Winnipeg is a fantastic place. I have been especially impressed by my colleagues in the Department of Religion and Culture,” expressed Nakissa. “They are extremely talented and they are genuinely nice people. Support from the departmental chair and other faculty members has helped facilitate my research and given me the opportunity to develop a diverse range of new course offerings for our students. I see the University of Winnipeg as an institution with a bright future.”
Professor Szekely became interested in Chinese literature as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon where she completed both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Chinese Literature. She completed her doctoral degree in Chinese Literature at the University of Michigan in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures. Her dissertation, “Playing for Profit: Tracing the Emergence of Authorship through Li Yu’s (1611-1680) Adaptations of his Huaben Stories into Chuanqi Drama,” is an examination of the role that literary and theatrical convention played in shaping patterns of literary consumption in 17th-century China and how evolving modes of consumption in turn shaped the ways writers conceived of and deployed generic conceits.
Dr. Lenore Szekely
“I’m delighted to have landed at the University of Winnipeg,” said Szekely. “The environment in the halls and classrooms on campus are full of life as well as the intellectual
exchange. I’m particularly excited about bringing upwards of thirty students to study in Shanghai this spring. My own first trip to China as an undergrad was life changing, and I can’t wait to share this experience with my students.”
Szekely’s research and pedagogical interests converge on adaptations of traditional literary works for the stage and screen. Genre adaptations offer a unique window into the internal structures defining both genres, as well as the historical and cultural milieu that shaped both the original work and the adaptation.
“We are extremely fortunate to have two new faculty members in the Department of Religion and Culture and the East Asian Languages and Cultures Program,” said Department Chair, Dr. Jane Barter Moulaison. “Both Drs. Nakissa and Szekely bring new exciting energy and talent to the University. Their research programs and teaching specializations have extended our department’s offerings and enhanced our profile enormously.”
