Hatsuki Aishima from the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan gave a seminar for the Center for Global Islamic Studies on November 28th. Her seminar, “Public Culture and Islam in Modern Egypt: Media, Intellectuals and Society” drew from her recently published monograph. Her lecture centered on what happens to societies with the introduction of mass media, and how this alters connectedness. Dr. Aishima focused on ‘Abd al-Halim Mahmud (1910-1978), who was known as the father of modern age Sufism in Egypt. Using an ethnographic approach, she considered how he used mass media to popularize and express his ideas. Her research also addressed the impact of ‘Abd al-Halim Mahmud’s work on his followers, and how this impact continues on through the social life of his texts.