Kira Weiss

Kira Weiss is a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology with an emphasis in Global Studies. Focusing on the history of the cello in Arab music, her research brings together issues of cultural policy, nationalism, and securitization. Kira’s research is historical, ethnographic, and practice-based. Having worked as a semi-professional cellist, Kira approaches her work as a researcher and musician, studying with several of the most prominent cellists in Arab music. In her research, Kira develops the concept of “cultural security” as a framework for understanding the articulation between cultural policy and national security. She uses the history of the cello in Arab music as a case study to analyze shifts in Egyptian cultural policy over the last century.

Connect with Kira on LinkedIn.

Read Kira’s post on the Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Blog, which discusses musical holograms and heritage in Egypt.

Learn more about Kira’s research in this short video: