Veils & Vision

June 13 + 16, 9-11am ET

Megha Sharma Sehdev

This course examines the figure of the veil in popular media ranging from South Asian film, to Beyoncé music videos, to Middle Eastern women's self representation. The materiality of veils enables a staggered process of seeing. Veils slow the gaze and draw attention to the act of looking itself, first drawing attention to the net, then to the image behind it—a seeing twice—between formlessness and form, and opacity and detail. In this way, veils tend to bi-focalize the gaze and render the act of seeing along a staggering, indicating the potential of a mystical, social, or political cut. We will examine how veils invite second-guessing and scrutiny, as well as wonderment, and how they encourage us to see gender, and the world, anew.

When you purchase your course seat please also submit this Application Form. Your enrollment is not reserved unless the Application Form has been received. Thank you!

Megha Sehdev holds a PhD in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University, and is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la diversité et la démocratie, Université du Québec. Her research focuses on the sensory experience of socio-political phenomena, violence, and law in South Asia. She is the co-convenor of Viral Conjunctions, a virtual consortium for the development of interdisciplinary research on global interlocked crises.