32 min
Haris Durrani on Muslimness, Orientalism, and Imperialism in "Dune" 37th & The World
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Art never exists within a vacuum: it is always embedded within a broader historical context and political interpretations. Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction epic Dune, currently in the midst of a two-part film adaption, exemplifies this dynamic. Dune narrates the story of a humanity dispersed across the stars 20,000 years into the future. It focuses on the young nobleman Paul Atreides as he acts upon a prophecy to control the planet Arrakis and its valuable spice—which makes space-travel possible—with the messianic command of Arrakis’ indigenous Fremen people. Far more than a pulpy adventure tale, Herbert incorporated environmental science, history, religious thought, and political philosophy from the nearly two-hundred books he consulted to write Dune, resulting in a rich tome with commentary on religious and cultural synthesis, resource-based geopolitics, and colonialism and anti-colonial resistance. In this interview, GJIA covers these themes and more with Haris Durrani, a Ph.D. candidate in history at Princeton University who is also dubbed, the “leading post-colonial Dune scholar of our time.”
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To read more about key trends in international affairs, head to gjia.georgetown.edu.
Keep up to date with more from the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs:
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Art never exists within a vacuum: it is always embedded within a broader historical context and political interpretations. Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction epic Dune, currently in the midst of a two-part film adaption, exemplifies this dynamic. Dune narrates the story of a humanity dispersed across the stars 20,000 years into the future. It focuses on the young nobleman Paul Atreides as he acts upon a prophecy to control the planet Arrakis and its valuable spice—which makes space-travel possible—with the messianic command of Arrakis’ indigenous Fremen people. Far more than a pulpy adventure tale, Herbert incorporated environmental science, history, religious thought, and political philosophy from the nearly two-hundred books he consulted to write Dune, resulting in a rich tome with commentary on religious and cultural synthesis, resource-based geopolitics, and colonialism and anti-colonial resistance. In this interview, GJIA covers these themes and more with Haris Durrani, a Ph.D. candidate in history at Princeton University who is also dubbed, the “leading post-colonial Dune scholar of our time.”
Support the show
To read more about key trends in international affairs, head to gjia.georgetown.edu.
Keep up to date with more from the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter
32 min