Historians to discuss role of alcohol consumption in Muslim communities at Oct. 18 lecture

Historians Febe Armanios and Bogac Ergene will discuss the role of alcohol consumption in Muslim communities since early Islamic times during a public lecture Oct 18.

The discussion will explore how various Muslim communities have enforced established rules about alcohol, and will reflect on modern attitudes toward alcohol consumption and intoxication. The lecture will also assess how religious and legal considerations have shaped the consumption of different beverages and brews, in the past and present. The lecture is free and open to the public and will take place at 4:30 p.m. in 110 White Hall.

Armanios is an associate professor of history at Middlebury College and her work is focused on the history of Christian communities in the Middle East. She is the author of several publications, including “Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt” and “Halal Food: A History” which she co-authored with Ergene in 2018.

Ergene is a professor of history at the University of Vermont. In addition to his book with Armanios, he is the author of “Local Court, Provincial Society and Justice in the Ottoman Empire: Legal Practice and Dispute Resolution in Çankırı and Kastamonu (1652-1744)”. His work has been published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Journal of Economic History, Economic History Review and Journal of Family History.

This event is sponsored by the Near Eastern studies department, the Comparative Muslim Societies program, and the Muslim Life program.