New Faculty: Kirsten Scheid

Professor Kirsten Scheid

Although Kirsten Scheid is new to the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, she is not new to AUB, nor to Lebanon. She spent a semester at AUB in 1993, and during her visits to the country during the past decade, she has been active in outreach and research projects related to the development of Lebanon's art communities.

After completing her degree in art history (with a minor in anthropology) at Columbia University in 1991, Scheid departed the United States to spend a semester in Ramallah, Palestine, at the University of Birzeit and another at AUB in 1993. During that time, her interest in the art communities of developing nations became her focus. She then returned to the US to pursue her graduate studies at Princeton University, where she completed both a master's and a PhD in anthropology.

Scheid's marriage to a Lebanese, combined with her intense interest in the study of art communities in the Middle East, brought her back in 1996 to settle permanently in Beirut. She explains that the local artists she worked with inspired her to address how art is perceived and defined and how it can be of benefit to society. She recalls that she kept hearing Lebanese artists say things like, "We don't have culture here." In her opinion, the fact that art is so strictly defined in "high art" terms restricts a lot of creativity in developing nations, limiting the possibilities for confidence-building in individuals, communities, and cultures. Seeking to encourage local artists to define art in their terms and in their language, Scheid helped found the community, Nadi al-Saaha, and has published a series of children's books in Arabic using the talents of local artists.

When asked what her hobbies are, Scheid responds, "Boycotting." This is not surprising, considering that her research involves much social activism. When she's not teaching, researching, or raising her daughter, Scheid enjoys supporting local agricultural efforts and staying active in political projects.