Embracing the Divine: Passion, Politics and Gender in the Christian Middle East: 1720 – 1798

A Lecture by Akram Khater.

Modern Christianity is presumed to be a Western topic. In this sense, Christians in the Middle East are hardly every present either in narratives about Christianity, or in studies of the Middle East. This study seeks to re-dress this matter by focusing on the life, spiritual and physical passion of a Catholic nun (Hindiyya al-‘Ujaimi) who lived in Bilad al-Sham during the 18th century. Hindiyya’s religious charisma, visions, and popularity (notoriety) placed her at the center of a confluence of Latin missionary, Maronite, and Vatican histories. Thus, she occupied a central role in a century-long drama which shaped not only the course of Middle Eastern Catholicism, but also challenged and shaped the Vatican’s project for Latinizing Christianity in the Middle East.

Dr. Akram Khater is Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Middle East Studies Program at North Carolina State University.