Janet Abu-Lughod Library

The Janet Abu-Lughod Library is a dedicated library collection housed at Studio-X Amman that was donated to Columbia GSAPP and Columbia Global Centers | Amman by Professor of Anthropology and Women’s Studies Lila Abu-Lughod and her family. Professor Abu-Lughod presented the library during her remarks at The Arab City conference held in November 2014 at Columbia University. The library, carefully curated and assembled by Janet Abu-Lughod, includes books and journals from the fields of urban sociology, political theory, race, gender and urban politics, migration, globalization, city planning, Islamic cities, and more.

The exhibition displays selected books that speak to Janet Abu-Lughod’s intellectual genealogy. In addition to personal notes and marginalia, the books contain intentionally archived or forgotten traces of her life as a towering scholar, diligent teacher, and engaged citizen. On the inside of covers are dedications by grateful former students and scholars acknowledging her influence on their respective fields. The books are accompanied by numerous requests for reviews, original typed manuscripts of Abu-Lughod’s work, cartoons, newspaper clippings, and flyers for international solidarity events.