MENA-related Events Calendar

You are warmly invited to what promises to be a fantastic soirée with Mona and Sebastian Usher, co-authors of Never Mind the Hummus, hosted by Dr Feras Alkabani, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Co-Director of the Middle East and North Africa at Sussex (MENACS). 

Listen to Mona and Sebastian Usher (BBC Middle East Correspondent, Editor and Analyst) tell us about the story behind their book, life and work between the UK and Lebanon (and the wider region). Enjoy a drink and sample authentic freshly-made hummus and other Lebanese delights. Engage with the authors and get your signed copy for £35 (retail price: £45).

When: Thursday, 28 May 2026; 18.30 Drinks reception; talk begins at 19.00 
Where: Arts A108, Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities (MAH), University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH 
How to get here:  Download the University of Sussex Campus map here; see this page for more details on how to get to the Sussex campus.

More information about the authors and about the book is available here. 

Organiser: Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

Speaker: Nuha Alshaar (Professor of Islamic Intellectual History, Ethical and Political Thought, and Director of the Center of Arab Studies and Islamic Civilizations (CASIC) at the American University of Sharjah)

My presentation explores the intellectual, social, and political landscape of Sicily under the Arab Fāṭimid rule (909–965) and their Kalbid allies (948–1053). Building on research from my edited volume Muslim Sicily: Encounters and Legacy, it further examines Sicily’s connections with al-Andalus, Qayrawān, and Cairo. The talk highlights the dynamic nature of Christian–Muslim relations within a broader context of interaction among diverse ethnic and religious communities over several centuries. Drawing on recently published Arabic and Coptic texts, it also considers Fāṭimid state policies and Sicily’s role as a key player in the medieval Mediterranean.

Organiser: LSE Middle East Centre and the Centre for Peace and Security, Coventry University

We warmly invite you to attend this British Academy Conference, Algeria: Historical Struggles and Imagined Utopias, at the London School of Economics on Thursday 28 – Friday 29 May 2026.

The important historical legacies of the Independence struggle and exciting recent developments in Algerian political, social, cultural and economic fields call for a public platform in the UK for scholars working on Algeria to share their research. Prioritising decolonising, feminist and other innovative approaches in order to learn from Algeria’s important revolutionary history, contemporary struggles and future imaginations, this conference encourages an intersectional and multidisciplinary approach.

We invite you to attend a two-day workshop critically examining decentralised, autonomist, and federalist modes of political organising in West Asia and North Africa. The workshop aims to be a space of interdisciplinary exploration of historical lineages, contemporary manifestations, and future possibilities of decentralised governance in (post)uprising and (post)revolutionary contexts.

The workshop is structured around three core themes:  

• Historiography and Genealogy: excavating and reassessing historical precedents of autonomist organising in the WANA region, challenging statist historiographies.  
• Political Theory and Philosophy: articulating the distinct political thought emerging from these movements, exploring concepts of democracy, ecology, gender, and pluralism.  
• Contemporary Praxis and Future Possibilities: critically evaluating the successes, limitations, and future prospects of existing and emergent autonomist projects.

The workshop will take place at the University of Glasgow on 22 and 23 July 2026 from 10:00 am to 6 pm. To allow the broadest possible participation, the workshop will be held in person and online via Zoom. If you would like to attend the workshop, please register by following this Eventbrite link. There is no conference fee.