Past Events
MEPF: Remaining in the back seat? Europe’s Role in the Middle East
Tuesday, 3/27/2018, 6:00pm - 7:15pm
Focusing on critical issues like the conclusion of the Syrian civil war and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, our panelists will examine European countries’ role in resolving present conflicts.
Translating Novels, Translating Experiences with Kareem Abdulrahman
Monday, 3/26/2018, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
In his remarks, Abdulrahman will discuss his approach to translation, and the value such translations have for bridging cultural and linguistic gaps between Kurds and the West.
MEPF: Voices From a New Generation in Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, 3/20/2018, 6:00pm - 7:15pm
Panelists will answer questions from our moderator and audience in an informal conversational style. Our panelists will be asked to provide their perspectives on the current state of affairs, recent changes, and the future of Saudi Arabia.
IMES Lecture Series: Foreign Volunteers in the 1948 War: A Comparative Examination
Monday, 3/19/2018, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
This talk will highlight the common characteristics Israeli volunteers shared with foreign volunteers in other conflicts such as the Polish- Soviet War (1920), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Second World War.
Occupational Risks: Israel in the West Bank
Wednesday, 3/7/2018, 11:00am - 12:30pm
This talk raises the two burning questions in this 50th anniversary of the 1967 War.
IMES Lecture Series: Slanted View and Sacred Gaze: Mecca’s views in the Pre-Modern Era
Thursday, 2/8/2018, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
This lecture analyzes varied iconic visions of the Haram (the sacred sanctuary) of Mecca.
Saturday, 1/27/2018, 10:00am - 2:00pm
This workshop explores what it means to be poor and introduces educators to opensource mapping techniques that can be incorporated into their classrooms.
Book Launch: Said the Prophet of God
Wednesday, 1/24/2018, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Joel Blecher takes up this charge, illuminating the rich social and intellectual history of hadith commentary at three critical moments: classical Andalusia, medieval Egypt, and modern India.
Bureaucratic Intimacies: Translating Human Rights in Turkey with Elif Babül
Thursday, 1/18/2018, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Elif M. Babül argues that the accession process does not always advance human rights. In casting rights as requirements for expertise and professionalism, training programs strip human rights of their radical valences, disassociating them from their political meanings within grassroots movements.
The Hybrid Journalist: Agent of Change?
Wednesday, 11/29/2017, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
The talk argues that journalists’ dual identity encouraged the adoption of hybrid practices that support in the same time change and conformity.
Brothers Apart: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Arab World
Thursday, 11/16/2017, 2:30pm - 5:00pm
In this talk, based on her recently published book, Dr. Maha Nassar argues that despite the double-erasure that Palestinian citizens of Israel faced from the state and from the Arab world, intellectuals within this community insisted that they were a part of regional and global cultural projects of decolonization.
Tuesday, 8/29/2017, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Please join us for the launch of Dr. Murat Akan's new book: The Politics of Secularism: Religion, Diversity, and Institutional Change in France and Turkey.
The Three Middle East Issues the Next President Will Face
Tuesday, 6/13/2017, 6:00pm - 7:15pm
Assistant Secretary Patterson joins MEPF to discuss her view of the three biggest Middle East challenges the next administration will face.
The 2016-2017 IMES Lecture Series: Iran and South Africa
Tuesday, 4/18/2017, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
This event is co-sponsored by the Institure for African Studies, the Institute for Middle East Studies, and the US Department of Education's Title VI National Resource Center Grant Program.
2017 IMES Annual Conference: Restless Matters
Friday, 4/14/2017, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Whether it be the destruction and looting of the Egyptian Museum, Palmyra, or the Buddhas of Bamyan, or it be the renovation and rebuilding of Mecca, the Eyup Sultan complex, or heritage districts in Doha, Cairo or Beirut, the ways in which these historical sites and objects are intertwined with political projects and political-economic processes have drawn increasing scrutiny in recent years.
Memory Matrix: a Presentation by Azra Akšamija
Thursday, 4/13/2017, 5:15pm - 6:45pm
The Memory Matrix endorses the use of technology to foster solidarity and educate those who have been stripped of their home, culture, history, and identity.
Iranian Women and Society: Finding a Critical Lens into the Politics of Daily Life
Wednesday, 3/29/2017, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Through this lens, the lecture will attempt to ask and answer the question: How do we evaluate actual social and political conditions under less representative political systems, when a larger gap can exist between government actions and social reality?
Nationalism and Difference in the Middle East
Tuesday, 3/28/2017, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
This graduate student panel will highlight the exciting research being done by GWU graduate students of History and Regional Studies, as well as the resources available in our libraries helping them to make original contributions to their fields.
Navigating Turkish Politics in the Wake of the Attempted Coup
Monday, 3/27/2017, 3:00pm - 4:40pm
Panelists will discuss shifts and continuities in Turkish politics and society in the wake of the attempted coup of July 2016, looking ahead to a referendum on proposed constitutional changes scheduled for April 16, 2017.
Student and Alumni Film Screening: Nasser’s Republic: The Making of Modern Egypt
Tuesday, 3/21/2017, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Nasser’s Republic, The Making of Modern Egypt is the first film for an American audience about one of the Arab world’s most transformative leaders.