March events at ECU celebrate women

East Carolina University kicked off its celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month with a presentation by author and journalist Asra Nomani  on March 4.

In a presentation titled “Women in the Muslim World,” Nomani spoke about the struggle Muslim women are facing as they work in the modern world to reclaim rights originally granted at Islam’s birth but erased through centuries of manmade rules and traditions. Nomani is the author of “Tanktrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love,” and “Standing Alone in Mecca.”

Additional events planned throughout March include a March 7 video conference with faculty at ECU’s global partner institutions discussing research related to gender issues as well as discussion of how different countries recognize the international Day of the Woman. That event is set for 8-10 a.m. in the Science and Technology Building, Room 144.

At noon on that day, faculty from the ECU College of Human Ecology will interact with faculty from Gdansk to explore how motherhood changes with cultural context. The event, titled “Motherhood in Cross-cultural Perspective,” will be held in Rivers 260.

On March 19 at 6 p.m., ECU history professor Dr. Mona Russell will introduce a film from contemporary Iran about the dissolution of a marriage. The film is titled “A Separation.”

A global classroom event open to students on March 25 will include a lecture and discussion featuring Dr. Charles Iruonagbe of Covenant University, Nigeria. “Women’s Rights in Nigeria and the Issue of Widow Inheritance” is set for 11-11:50 a.m. in the Science and Technology Building, Room 144.

International Women’s Day is March 8, while Women’s History Month runs throughout the month of March.  International Women’s Day is celebrated globally, marking the economic, political and social of achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries – China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, for example – International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

The ECU programs highlighting women’s achievements are sponsored by Global Academic Initiatives, ECU’s departments of history, sociology and women’s studies and the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center.

For additional information about International Women’s Day, visit http://www.internationalwomensday.com/.