They Were Roommates
Event Has Passed
$10 General | Free for Members & Penn Students with ID
Event Has Passed
LGBT+ visibility and mainstream acceptance of queer identity have come a long way in recent years, but diverse concepts of gender and sexual identity are not new. Archaeological and historical records from ancient and pre-modern civilizations show evidence that many cultures have embraced concepts of gender outside the binary.
Broaden your understanding of LGBT+ presence throughout history with scholars from across the Penn Museum and University, joined by our friends at the Penn LGBT Center. A panel of experts, including Dr. Abdulhamit Arvas, Assistant Professor of English, Eduardo Carrera, part of the Ph.D. graduate group in Penn's History of Art department, and Dr. Shelby Justl, Egyptologist and Visiting Assistant Professor at Bryn Mawr College, illuminate how diverse cultures have recognized and revered more than two genders. Following the discussion, continue the conversation with light refreshments.
About the Speakers
Abdulhamit Arvas, Ph.D.
Abdulhamit Arvas is Assistant Professor of English with affiliations in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, Comparative Literature & Literary Theory, the Middle East Center, and Global Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an extraordinary member of Exeter College of the University of Oxford. His research and teaching focus on early modern literature and culture, comparative histories of sexuality and race, queer studies, trans history, cross-cultural encounters, and Islam in the Renaissance.
Eduardo Cerrara
Eduardo Cerrara is part of the Ph.D. graduate group in Penn's History of Art department. He will present an overview of Indigenous cultures from Abya Yala and their connection to queer/cuir themes. The presentation will begin with the Tolita-Tumaco culture (600 BCE - 400 CE), located on the northern coast of Ecuador and southern Colombia. It will then explore images from the 16th and 19th centuries, leading to a reflection on indigenism in the 20th century. The final part will focus on how contemporary artists reinterpret and engage with these themes, highlighting the diversity of approaches and the current relevance of these discussions.
Shelby Justl
Shelby Just.is a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, currently teaching in the Critical Writing Department, and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bryn Mawr College. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations with a concentration in Egyptian Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania.