041 - Dune: Islamic Sci-Fi or Orientalist Trope? (Margari Hill)

Dune is the 2021 American epic sci-fi film we've all heard of, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Set in the distant future amidst a feudal intersteller society, various noble houses battle over resources on a desert planet.    The basic plot of Dune is perhaps one of orientalist tropes, involving White hero Paul heading to the planet Arrakis to liberate the Arab/Muslim-like Fremen.    We'll be discussing the themes of Dune with our guest Margari Aziza Hill, longtime fan of Dune and Executive Director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collective. Margari adjunct professor, blogger, editor, and freelance writer with articles published in How We Fight White Supremacy (2019) Time, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera English, Islamic Monthly, and MuslimMatters. She has over 15 years teaching experience at various capacities including substitute teacher, instructor, curriculum design, school policy, teacher training, as well as teaching assistant and teaching fellow. Her research includes colonial perceptions mixed-raced identities in Northern Nigeria, anti-colonial resistance among West Africans in Sudan during the early 20th century, transformations in Islamic learning in Northern Nigeria, and International student programs at Al-Azhar and Cairo University.  We'll be discussing what we thought of Dune, what Frank Herbert's intentions were for the obvious Islamic influences, the debate around the lack of MENA representation in the movie and more.