Lewis was born in northeast London. She trained in
Fine Art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
and
Art History
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, and received her MA in English: Critical Theory from Sussex University. Her PhD in Humanities at Middlesex University on western women orientalist artists and writers marked a new development in understandings of gender and imperial cultures.
Career
Lewis's research has focused upon postcolonial history, Middle Eastern and Ottoman women's history, lesbian and gay studies and studies of other minority groups. Her 2015 book ''Muslim Fashion'' drew on over ten years of research into the subject, in particular the use of the hijab as a fashion statement. The launch of the book was combined with a London College of Fashion panel discussion on "Muslim Fashion: recent histories, future directions". In 2016, she was an introducer for the foundation of the British Asian Fashion Network. A frequent media commentator, Lewis's writings and opinion have appeared across the global media in more recently ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', and '' Marie Claire'' magazine, and she is regularly to be heard on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
.
Alongside authoring a number of seminal texts on gender and orientalism and queer visual culture, Lewis has also acted as consultant curator on the exhibition Contemporary Muslim Fashions at the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...
(September 2018 – January 2019, touring to Germany in spring 2019, and the
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile (New York City), Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the ...
, New York (2020–21).
Works
* Gendering Orientalism: Race, Femininity and Representation (1995)
* Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel and the Ottoman Harem (2004)
* Gender, Modernity & Liberty: Middle Eastern and Western Women's Writings: A Critical Sourcebook (2006)
* The poetics and politics of place: Ottoman Istanbul and British orientalism (2011)
* Modest fashion: styling bodies, mediating faith. Dress Cultures (2013)
* Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures (2015)
* Uncovering Modesty: Dejabis and Dewigies Expanding the Parameters of the Modest Fashion Blogosphere (2015)
Reports
* (Lewis R, Aune K, and Molokotos-Liederman L), Modest Fashion in UK Women’s Working Life: A report for fashion and the creative industries and creative arts education (2021)
* (Aune K, Lewis R, and Molokotos-Liederman L). Modest Fashion in UK Women’s Working Life: A report for employers, HR professionals, religious organisations, and policymakers (2021)
Source:
Source: