Non-BRISMES Events

Peter Sluglett, a long time member of BRISMES, is President-elect of MESA, the Middle East Studies Association of North America. He taught Middle Eastern history at Durham University between 1974 and 1993 and at the University of Utah since 1994; he is currently Visiting Research Professor at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore. This year he is President-elect; he will be President in 2012-13. He served as a member of the BRISMES Council between 1986 and 1989, and was Review Editor of the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies between 1990 and 1994.

The British Academy

International Partnership and Mobility Scheme (Middle East)

In an initiative developed by the British Academy's Area Panels, one-year awards of £10,000 and three-year awards of up to £30,000 are available to support the development of research partnerships between UK scholars and scholars in the Middle East (including North Africa). Awards cover any branch of the humanities and social sciences, and are intended to focus on collaborative research on a specific theme of mutual interest, rather than purely on establishing networks. Partnerships can include a range of related activities, and mobility (in the form of visits in both directions, exchanges, etc.) should form an integral part of proposals.

Aim of Award

The scheme aims to support the development of partnerships between the UK and other areas of the world where research excellence would be strengthened by new, innovative initiatives and links, with an emphasis on helping scholars in the UK and overseas to develop research skills and to produce joint research outcomes.

Eligibility

Applicants must be of postdoctoral or equivalent status (i.e. academic staff with at least one or two years of teaching/ research experience) and should be based within a research active institution for the duration of the award.

Level of Grant

Grants are offered up to a maximum of £10,000 per year for a period of one year or three years.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is 8 February 2012. Decisions will be announced in late July.

Applications must be submitted via https://egap.britac.ac.uk/ , the Academy's electronic grant application system.

For further information please visit the Academy's website: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/intl/International_Partnership_and_Mobility.cfm

Call for Papers

The Construction(s) of Conflict and Peace
Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies' (EXCEPS)
9-10 July 2012
University of Exeter, Streatham Campus
Conference Convenor: Professor Gareth Stansfield

The manner in which conflicts are framed is intimately linked to conflicts' various stages, including efforts to mitigate and/or abate their violent effects, be it through military intervention, humanitarian aid and/or the creation of new political dispensations. The shared understandings that provide the bases for these frames, however, are the products of various discursive practices within governments, NGOs, academia, journalism and manifold cultural productions and (e.g., literature, visual arts, museums, etc.). These practices are contingent and messy, and often deeply contested.

The conference will investigate these practices from a multidisciplinary perspective, incorporating insights from both practitioners and academics. It seeks to uncover how the interplay of economic incentives, organizational cultures, political and social climates, and personal and collective beliefs lead to the production and privileging of particular types of knowledge vis-à-vis conflict and peace. It also seeks to explore how these processes vary across occupations, disciplines, time and space. For instance, how do donor and NGO priorities affect the production of 'local' knowledge within a conflict site? Are certain stakeholders accorded greater legitimacy vis-à-vis knowledge production? How does access to conflict areas and privileged informants, language and translation, as well as the processes of data collection and representation inform specific conflict interpretations and mitigation efforts? Similarly, if a conflict is located within the 'academic periphery', how do the practices and priorities of the 'core' (e.g., US academia) shape knowledge production? In terms of time, how does knowledge change as conflicts transition towards peace, thus becoming ripe for 'lesson' extraction and exportation?

Beyond governments, NGOs, the media and academia, the conference also seeks to investigate how cultural productions create, affirm and/or challenge knowledge of peace and conflict. Specifically, how is knowledge of conflict and peace encoded through architecture and space planning, the visual arts, literature, museums, etc.? Do the different organizational cultures and intended audiences governing the production of these cultural artefacts create different types of knowledge? How are these types of knowledge incorporated and/or ignored by other knowledge producers within conflicts and peace processes?

The conference committee welcomes abstracts and panel proposals on any aspect of this theme. To submit a proposal for a paper or panel, please send an abstract of a maximum of 500 words to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 15 January 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 February 2012. As a limited student travel fund will be available, please indicate in your abstract if you wish to be considered for this fund. For further information, please visit the conference website at http://centres.exeter.ac.uk/exceps/events/conference.html

 

1st SYMPOSIUM 'CITIZENSHIP AFTER ORIENTALISM':

'OPENING THE BOUNDARIES OF CITIZENSHIP' CONFERENCE

6-7 February 2012

The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK

The Conference will explore new approaches and methods to conceptualising and politicising citizenship through discussing struggles, contestations and challenges to citizenship around the world.

Keynote lectures by

- Judith Butler (University of California) 'Self-Determination, Palestinian Statehood, and the Anarchist Impasse'

- Paul Gilroy (LSE) 'Subjects in the Kettle: Citizenship, Dissent, and Securitocracy'

- Engin Isin (The Open University) Inaugural Lecture 'Citizens Without Frontiers?'

- Bryan Turner (CUNY) 'City, Nation, Globe: Three Movements in the History of Citizenship'

You can find the full preliminary programme via:

http://www.oecumene.eu/files/oecumene/Preliminaryprogramme6-7February2012.pdf

To book the event (£50/£30 student concession) and for further details, please follow: http://www.oecumene.eu/events/1st-symposium

The conference is part of the First Symposium 'Citizenship after Orientalism' organised by the Oecumene Project being held on 6-11 February 2012.

The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).

Symposium 'Citizenship after Orientalism'

6-11 February 2012, The Open University, Milton Keynes

The Symposium will include:

- A Conference 'Opening the Boundaries of Citizenship'

http://www.oecumene.eu/files/oecumene/Symposium%20in%20detail.pdf

- An International PhD School 'Tracing Colonialism and Orientalism in Social and Political Thought'

http://www.oecumene.eu/files/oecumene/PhD%20School.pdf

- A series of workshops addressing specific topics on critical new ways of conceptualising citizenship

http://www.oecumene.eu/files/oecumene/Workshops.pdf

Keynote speakers: Judith Butler (University of California, Berkeley), Paul Gilroy (LSE), Bryan Turner (CUNY), Engin Isin (The Open University).

PhD School Conveners: Ian Almond (Georgia State University), Roberto Dainotto (Duke University).

Call for Papers: The first Symposium of the Oecumene project (Open University) will explore what it means to open up the boundaries of citizenship. How can we give an account of other ways of being political? Which political practices have been rendered inarticulable as political by exclusionary ideas of citizenship? These questions seem most relevant today, in light of the contemporary re-articulation of orientalist and colonial projects, the increasing popular discontent towards renewed exclusionary logics, and the contested meanings of democratic politics across boundaries.

http://www.oecumene.eu/events/1st-symposium

The Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education is pleased to announce its 1st Postgraduate Conference on the Study of Islam and Muslims.

This 2-day conference (24-25 May 2012) is designed to actively engage in a cross-disciplinary exploration of topics related to the Study of Islam and Muslims. By bringing together postgraduate students from UK institutions the conference aims to:

• promote intelligent debate and understanding of contemporary issues and perspectives related to this field of knowledge;

• offer to postgraduates students the opportunity to present and discuss their research in an interdisciplinary, semi-formal, and intellectually stimulating setting;

• stimulate awareness and debate on topics currently at the heart of this research in the UK;

• exchange perspectives and develop new ideas and useful insights;

• network, share experience, and benefit from feedback (from both peers and selected academic experts); and

• discuss issues related to career development and provide methodological sessions useful for a successful PhD completion.

Call for papers

We invite postgraduate students to submit abstracts for oral presentations. Please submit your abstract (around 250-300 words) by 28th February 2012 to Davide Pettinato via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Your email submission must also contain the following information:

1. The title of the presentation;

2. The name(s) of the author(s) and their affiliation(s);

3. A brief author's biography;

4. The author's e-mail address and contact details;

5. The main and secondary areas of the author's research interests.

The duration of each presentation will be 15 minutes and may include audio and visual elements within this timescale. Each presentation will be followed by a 5 minute discussion. Presentations will be grouped thematically. Panels will allow for general discussion at the end of each session. We invite papers that explore any of the areas listed below:

• Core Sources in Islam;

• Islam and Everyday Life;

• Islam and Gender;

• Islam and Globalization;

• Islam and Social/Political Theory;

• Islam and Theoretical/Practical Ethics;

• Islam, Diversity, and Multiculturalism;

• Islam, Media, and Islamophobia;

• Islam, Muslims, and Development;

• Islam, Muslims, and International Relations;

• Islamic Education;

• Islamic Finance and Banking;

• Islamic History;

• Islamic Philosophy and Theology;

• Jerusalem (past, present, and future);

• Methodology in the Study of Islam and Muslims;

• Shari'ah and Contemporary Issues;

• Sufism and Spiritualism.

Notification of abstract acceptance will be communicated by Wednesday 7th March 2012. Selected candidate speakers must submit a full paper by Monday 30th April 2012. Final acceptance of the papers will be communicated by Tuesday 15th May 2012. Areas of research and the mix of institutions and disciplines represented will be taken into account in the evaluation process.

As a postgraduate conference, we hope to provide a precious opportunity for early-stage researchers to develop their writing and presentation skills and to offer a platform for sharing and discussion. We look forward to receiving your proposals.

Registration

Registration is free and includes a social lunch on the first day. To register, please send your reply to the following email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Participants can be students/researchers/scholars in any subject related to the Study of Islam and Muslims.

CALL TO DIRECT A WORKSHOP
3RD ANNUAL GULF RESEARCH MEETING
University of Cambridge, 4th - 7th July 2012

Scholars are invited to apply to direct a workshop focusing on the Politics, Economics, Security and Social Issues of the Gulf region, for the 3r4d Gulf Research Meeting (GRM) to take place in Cambridge.

The Gulf Rsearch Centre Cambridge (GRCC) particularly welcomes workshop proposals in the following domains:

• Gulf political regime developments
• Gulf civil societies
• Gulf finance and economics
• Gulf migration
• Gulf foreign relations (particularly Asia, Africa and Latin America)
• Gulf security
• Gulf environment
• Gulf higher and science education.

Each workshop applcation shoudl include two workshop direcotrs who should come from different institutions, ideally with at least one director being based in the Gulf region.

For further details regarding the applications and what to include, please visit:  http://grm.grc.net

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Middle East in Revolt: The First Anniversary International Conference
17--‐18 March 2012
Carillo Gantner Theatre, University of Melbourne, Australia

This conference is a welcome opportunity to revisit the Arab revolution on its first anniversary.

The fall of the government in Tunisia in January 2011 was soon followed by the departure of President Hosni Mubarak In Egypt. The popular uprising spread rapidly to other Arab states, threatening entrenched regimes and the status quo.

In Libya the uprising turned into a bloody civil war. While many observers have drawn parallels with the crumbling of the Soviet bloc and the eastward spread of democracy to Eastern Europe, the outcome of the Arab uprising is far from clear. This popular uprising has challenged authoritarian rule and highlighted the widespread desire for political accountability and responsible government.

Yet it may be premature to celebrate the 'Arab Spring' as heralding democracy to the region. Democracy in the Middle East remains a difficult and long-term project. This conference is aimed at examining the prospects of democracy in the Middle East by exploring some key factors:

1. What have been the motivating factors for the Arab revolt?

2. How relevant is political Islam to this popular uprising?

3. How does the popular uprising for political accountability relate to sectarian divisions.

4. How has Obama's Mid East policy impacted on the popular push for democracy?

5. What role have the new media played in the spread of the popular uprising?

6. Does the 'Arab street' speak with one voice?

7. Where is the Arab revolution going?

8. Why 2011?

The conference will feature international and regional experts in the field.

Keynote speakers include:

Professor Laura Guazzone, Professor of Contemporary History of the Arab Countries, Italian Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Rome, La Sepienza, Italy

Professor Emma Murphy, Professor in the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University

Professor George Joffe, Research fellow and Affiliate Lecturer at the Centre for International Studies, University of Cambridge, UK.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh (Convenor)
Dr Kylie Baxter
Assistant Professor Richard Pennell

Submissions must include: Title for the proposed paper, a 400-word summary of the paper – Biographical details of the presenter. Submissions due 1st October 2011. Please email your submissions to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3010.

http://asiainstitute.unimelb.edu.au/conferences/middle_east_in_revolt

Saudi Economy: Challenges and Opportunities
First Academic Conference of the Faculty of Economics and Administration
King Abdulaziz University
16-18 Jumada II 1433 AH (7-9 May 2012)
Jeddah – Saudi Arabia

Globalization has demolished barriers and increased economic interdependence. This in turn has positive and negative consequences for national economies. On the positive side, the rate of investments and capital movement among states has increased. On the negative side, the recent global economic crisis, including the US financial crisis and the debt problems of some EU countries, seriously impacted the world economy, especially developing economies.

 As a reaction to the global economic crisis, governments, officials of national and international institutions, and academic institutions have engaged in studying and analyzing the various aspects of the crisis in order to understand its causes and consequences and to design strategies for dealing with the impact. They also seek to be better prepared in case such crises occur in the future. In addition, they want to evaluate the impact of the crisis on the economies of the developed and developing countries and study the challenges they faced and the solutions they adopted to deal with the new international economic environment.   

 The challenges facing the Saudi economy in such an unpredictable international economic environment led King Abdulaziz University – represented by the Faculty of Economic and Administration – to hold a conference titled "Saudi Economy: Challenges and Opportunities." This conference seeks to study the challenges, opportunities, and aspirations related to the Saudi economy. The main topics to be discussed at the conference are:

1. Optimum allocation of resources
2. Economic opportunities
3. Saudi economy and global environment

Leading researchers in related fields of knowledge are cordially invited to submit their papers on any of the above-mentioned topics. Alternatively, they may submit papers on any of the following themes in relation to the Saudi economy: 

• Agriculture

• Competitiveness

• Corruption

• Crises and Risk Management
• Economic growth

• Education
• Employment

• Financial sector

• Food security

• G20

• Governance and regulations

• Government institutions

• Inflation
• International economic crises
• Local development
• National and foreign investment

• Non-oil exports

• Petroleum and energy

• Poverty

• Private institutions

• Public policies
• Reform policies

• Small and medium enterprises

• Tourism

• WTO

We also welcome suggestions for additional themes to be incorporated in the final program. 

To submit paper abstracts, please use the following link: http://fsnec.kcorp.net/?q=node/575

Abstract Submission Deadline is: 31-10-2011

 

For more information please visit the conference’s website: http://www.feafsnec.net

The Cambridge Middle East History Group

The primary aim of this new research group is to bring together people who work on Middle East history at the University of Cambridge and to forge links both nationally and internationally with other scholars of Middle East history. The group will be based on three pillars:

1) Seminar: the research seminar will take place every two to three weeks in Pembroke College, Cambridge, with each session consisting of an invited speaker presenting a 30-40 minute paper, followed by an open discussion. While the group is based in Cambridge, the intention is to interact with as wide a range of expertise as possible. Speakers will therefore be invited not only from within Cambridge University, but also from around the UK and internationally. The inaugural seminar took place on 3^rd February 2011, in which three speakers gave differing perspectives on how the history of the Middle East can be reconceptualised in ways that transgress the boundaries of regional studies. The speakers for this session were: Dr Kate Fleet, Dr Tim Harper and Dr Amira Bennison.

2) Webpage: The group's work will be disseminated to a much wider audience through a website (a sub-page of the History Faculty) that will feature recordings of the seminars, abstracts and the papers themselves. The webpage will be designed to 'bundle' the expertise on Middle East history at Cambridge and provide a forum for research.

3) Annual Conference: the group seeks to organise an annual conference or colloquium, bringing scholars together from across the country and abroad. The conference will each year have a particular theme.

Scholars interested in presenting their work to the Group should send proposals to the three conveners whose email addresses are given below.

Potential applicants should note that the group purposely adopts a loose definition of the 'Middle East' in order to incorporate new and diverse perspectives. The focus will inevitably fall on the Arabic-speaking world (in the broadest sense), as well as modern-day Turkey and Iran, but research on a wide range of locales whose histories intersect with the more traditionally-defined Middle East will be welcomed. Indeed a central purpose of the research group is to move away from a historiography of the Middle East based around the divisions of regional studies, shifting instead towards a more open approach that can incorporate historical phenomena which touch upon but are not limited to Western Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. Similarly, the idea of the 'modern' Middle East is conceived in very broad terms and is in no way intended to replicate European conceptions of a 'modern' historical era. Rather it is merely a marker of the group's focus on historical topics which in some way relate to present issues, however broadly that may be, and in particular the notion of a globalized world.

Conveners:

Jacob Norris This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
David Motadel This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
John Slight This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it