MENA-related Events Calendar

Join the BISA Postgraduate Network (PGN) for the first event of 2026, focusing on careers outside academia after completing a PhD. Our speakers will discuss their professional journeys, from graduation to securing roles beyond academia, and share insights into what to expect in non-academic work environments. This event offers a valuable opportunity to explore alternative career paths and gain practical advice. 

Organiser: The Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh

Mark Sedgwick, professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, will present Neo-Traditionalism, a contemporary global Islamic movement, and proposes an explanation for its growth and emphases. The presentation is followed by a response from Dr Walaa Quisay (The University of Edinburgh) and chaired by Dr Richard McNeill-Willson (The University of Edinburgh).

Organiser: The Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh

At this event Dr Julie M. Norman (UCL) will discuss her new book, ‘Gaza: The Dream and the Nightmare’,  co-authored with Maia Carter Hallward. It tells the story of Gaza from its early foundations, across decades of occupation, to the devastation of the ongoing war. 

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.