Welcome to the second episode of “Scholars Discuss Coptic Studies.” This audio blog series aims to bring together junior and established scholars from across North America and to offer insight on the ongoing research involving Coptic populations around the world.
In this episode, Michael Akladios (PhD candidate in History, York University) interviews Joseph Youssef (PhD candidate in Anthropology, University of Toronto). Joseph kindly shares his history and his experiences with us, as an Egyptian immigrant to Toronto and an anthropologist of Coptic monasticism in Egypt and its diasporas. His fascinating research sheds light on the pitfalls of mythologizing and romanticizing monks. Rather, as he argues, we must understand their humanity and appreciate how modernization continues to affect their spiritual lives.
We hope you enjoy the conversation and the photographs below:




Thank you for joining us and please stay tuned for future episodes.
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