September 4, 2011

A Photography Professor Struggles With Saudi Culture in Transition

Galya Al-Ansary

One Saudi student's final project for her photography class contrasted the stylized prestige of men's photographs hanging in a portrait studio with the mundane tools of photo production, visible in the foreground and in reflections.

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By Ursula Lindsey

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Grappling with a different culture is often part of the challenge, and appeal, of teaching abroad.

But imagine going to a country where many consider your discipline sinful or criminal, to teach a group of students whose freedom of movement is very limited. That's what Janice Levy embarked upon last year when she took a job teaching photography at a women's university in Saudi Arabia.

"It's not for everyone, obviously," says Ms. Levy, a Boston native with short salt-and-pepper