Jul 2016 - Aug 2016
Home institution
Philosophy Department, United Arab Emirates University
Biography
Rita Risser is an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi. She completed her graduate studies at McGill University in Canada (and is a Canadian citizen) with a specialization in philosophical aesthetics and political philosophy. She then taught at the University of British Columbia before taking up her position at UAEU.Her research centers on political, ethical and aesthetic issues as they arise in the arts and architecture, including urban environments. Her work has appeared in The Monist, Architectural Theory Review, and Public Affairs Quarterly.
Project
Public Life in the Desert: The Architecture of the Majlis
Majlis is the Arabic word for assembly. It may refer to the act of assembly, or to the physical place or structure that hosts an assembly. This research will inquire into: (i) the merits and flaws of this traditional form of political assembly; and (ii) how the majlis as a place or structure in which to assemble might influence the majlis as an act of assembly.