News

The Bonjour Effect

The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed is the latest book on French language and culture from past ICWA Fellows Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau.  The Bonjour Effect explores and examines the art of French conversation and explains the way that the French talk about themselves, the world, and everything in between. […]

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Update from Zihuatanejo

We are about to depart from Zihuatanejo. We have spent the past two days exploring and reprovisioning here. The town is unlike any we have seen yet, it somehow has the humm of a busy city and the quaintness and relaxed vibe of a coastal town. The bay itself is beautiful; steep, jungle-clad hills (mostly […]

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“Now the Writing Starts”: An Interview with Adonis

In a new article on NYR Daily, ICWA Fellow Jonathan Guyer interviews Syrian poet Adonis, inventor of the Arabic prose poem and important literary figure. At 86, the Syrian luminary is a shrewd commentator on current affairs and an audacious anti-religious crusader who has come under criticism for his views on the Syrian civil war. This […]

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Introducing Miss Woubi, Ivory Coast’s Unlikely Cross-dressing Pageant

The Guardian – In a new article, ICWA Fellow Robbie Corey-Boulet shares the story of Ivory Coast’s Miss Woubi pageant. According to Corey-Boulet “the event, first held in 2009, takes its name from an Ivorian slang word referring to the so-called “effeminate” partner in a relationship between two men – the one who, as Ivorians put […]

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In Turbulent Times, One Source Keeps Brazil Laughing

Forbes – Past ICWA Fellow Shannon Sims reports on Sensacionalista, a Brazilian satirical paper that could be compared to The Onion.  According to Sims, the political and economic situation in Brazil is tough and “as the political scandals multiply and surpass anything seen in a House of Cards script, Brazilians are sharing Sensacionalista’s fake news with gusto, as […]

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The Mysterious Case Of The Shrinking Brazilian Easter Egg

Forbes – In her latest article, past Fellow Shannon Sims examines Brazil’s incredibly popular chocolate Easter eggs in a new context; economics. A recent economic crash has caused the value of one Brazilian real to shrink from 50 U.S. cents to 25 cents and in conjunction the average size of a Brazilian chocolate Easter egg has shrunk as well. To […]

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Hezbollah Claims a ‘Nuclear Option’ in Tense Standoff with Israel

The Daily Beast – In a new article, past ICWA Fellow Neri Zilber delves into the topic of the Israeli-Hezbollah cold war and what the next escalation in Lebanon might look like. Zilber writes, “Like the historic global battle between East and West, this more localized Middle Eastern version sees both Israel and Hezbollah preparing […]

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