BY YINGJIA WANG

In print | Published March 6, 2008

Swarthmore alum Emilio Spadola ’95 returned to campus this past Tuesday, March 4 to deliver a lecture concerning the impacts of media and technology on the ways in which Islamic beliefs and practices are being communicated.

Entitled “Rites of Reception: A Techno-Islamic Cure for Possession,” the lecture was co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Alumni Relations Office. In his lecture, Spadola stated that his intention was to look cross-culturally and historically. He also discussed non-mass forms of media, especially mechanical and electronic reproductions. “I am particularly interested in the overlap, or symbiotic relationship between religion today and the electronic media used to send word across the globe,” Spadola said.

Attendees at the lecture also appreciated the wide-ranging impact that Spadola’s research has.

“He talked about the social hierarchy in Morocco and how it related to the exorcism or possession of a Moroccan girl,” Fatima de Vol ’11 said. “He talked about how it can fit anywhere else, in any other religion. It is not just characteristic to Islam and Morocco. It can also be generalized into Christianity and to Italy with the Pope and the Church, for example.”

After graduating from Swarthmore, Spadola eventually found himself at Columbia University, where he earned his master’s and doctorate’s degrees in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

Currently an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Colgate University, Spadola specializes in Middle Eastern and Islamic anthropology, history, and culture.

According to sociology and anthropology professor Farha Ghannam, Spadola’s talk was one of approximately eight to ten lectures sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology annually. Ghannam, who was the coordinator of the lecture, said Spadola’s status as an alum was particularly attractive.

“The department is always very keen on staying in touch with our alums, especially those who go onto graduate school and become professors of sociology and anthropology. It is important for the students and the faculty to see,” Ghannam said.

“The faculty love to hear about their thoughts and work. For us as individuals, it is very exciting to hear what the alums are doing, and it enriches our own understanding of the field and teaches us something new. For the students, it is good because they can see what their peers can do,” she said.

Spadola’s research interests, however, were the main reasons for bringing him back to campus.

“Emilio was not my student … I met him at a meeting of the American Anthropological Association. We ended up presenting on same panel. I heard his paper, and I thought it was fascinating. It was very sophisticated, very timely and very inspiring. So I invited him to come to Swarthmore,” Ghannam said.

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