Past Events
Libya's Elections: A Transition to Democracy?
Thursday, 1/20/2022, 10:00am - 11:00am
Join MEPF for a panel discussion on Libya's presidential elections featuring Dr. Lamees BenSaad, Mary Fitzgerald, and Tarek Megerisi with moderator Sarah Yerkes.
Assessing Language Learning with LinguaGrow
Wednesday, 1/19/2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Dr. Julie Sykes and Tigre Lusardi of the Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) at the University of Oregon will demonstrate the online assessment tool LinguaGrow in this virtual ATC workshop.
Thursday, 1/13/2022, 11:00am - 12:30pm
Dr. Karen Rignall and Max Ajl discuss Dr. Rignall's new book "An Elusive Common: Land, Politics, and Agrarian Rurality in a Moroccan Oasis"
Retirement Celebration for Dr. Dina Khoury
Wednesday, 12/8/2021, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Join us to celebrate of the career of Dr. Dina Khoury, Professor of History and International Affairs.
Engaging Heritage Learners through Creative Activities in the Arabic Language Classroom
Tuesday, 12/7/2021, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
How can teachers keep heritage learners of Arabic engaged? Join us for a two-hour virtual workshop that will delve into what it means to be a heritage learner and how teachers can engage with these learners using creative activities. Fatima Khaled of the Peace School in London will discuss how to use such elements as art and digital storytelling to work with heritage learners and maintain interest.
Berz Endowed Lecture Featuring Eman Quotah
Thursday, 12/2/2021, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
The David and Sherry Berz Endowed Lecture will feature Eman Quotah, author of the novel "Bride of the Sea"
Thursday, 12/2/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
In 2008, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad invited international investors to the first-ever Palestine Investment Conference, which was designed to jump-start the process of integrating Palestine into the global economy. As Fayyad described the conference, Palestine is “throwing a party, and the whole world is invited.” In this book Kareem Rabie examines how the conference and Fayyad's rhetoric represented a wider shift in economic and political practice in ways that oriented state-scale Palestinian politics toward neoliberal globalization rather than a diplomatic two-state solution. Rabie demonstrates that private firms, international aid organizations, and the Palestinian government in the West Bank focused on large-scale private housing development in an effort toward state-scale economic stability and market building. This approach reflected the belief that a thriving private economy would lead to a free and functioning Palestinian state. Yet, as Rabie contends, these investment-based policies have maintained the status quo of occupation and Palestine's subordinate and suspended political and economic relationship with Israel.
Politics of Debt: Financial Inclusion in Turkey with Ali Riza Güngen and Shana Marshall
Thursday, 11/18/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Ali Riza Güngen will discuss financial inclusion in Turkey and the political ramifications of growing household indebtedness.
Book Launch: "Lumbering State, Restless Society: Egypt in the Modern Era"
Thursday, 11/18/2021, 9:30am - 10:30am
Join us for a book talk on crucial developments in Egyptian politics, society, and economics from the 20th century to the present day.
Screen Shots: State Violence on Camera in Israel and Palestine with Rebecca Stein and Imani Cheers
Thursday, 11/4/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Drawing on ethnographic work, Rebecca L. Stein chronicles Palestinian video-activists seeking justice, Israeli soldiers laboring to perfect the military's image, and Zionist conspiracy theorists accusing Palestinians of "playing dead."
The Taliban, The Islamic State, and the Future of Southwest Asia
Tuesday, 11/2/2021, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Join the Middle East Policy Forum on Tuesday, November 2nd for a conversation about the “new” Taliban and the onset of their deadly rivalry with the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISK). New battle lines are being drawn across Afghanistan, the dynamics of which will impact politics and security in broader Southwest Asia. The Middle East could see a rise in instability and sectarian violence if Afghanistan again becomes a hub for terrorists. Professor Abbas will also deliberate on what these new developments mean for US security policy across the region.
The Impasse of Tunisian Democracy
Wednesday, 10/20/2021, 9:00am - 10:00am
The Middle East Policy Forum (MEPF) is excited to host The Impasse of Tunisian Democracy. Following Tunisian President Kais Saied's dismissal of the prime minister and suspension of Parliament this past summer, what are the near- and short-term prospects for liberal democracy in Tunisia? How have public attitudes shifted over the past few months? Join MEPF for a discussion of these questions with Dr. Robert P. Parks and Dr. Tarek Kahlaoui with discussant Dr. Laryssa Chomiak.
Thursday, 10/14/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
In The Colonizing Self Hagar Kotef traces the cultural, political, and spatial apparatuses that enable people and nations to settle on the ruins of other people's homes.
"Saving Afghan Women" Twenty Years Later with Dr. Marya Hannun
Tuesday, 10/12/2021, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
The Middle East Policy Forum (MEPF) is excited to announce our first event of the semester, "Saving Afghan Women" Twenty Years Later. Join us Tuesday, October 12 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm in ESIA room #505 for afternoon coffee & pastries and for a reflection from Dr. Marya Hannun on the twenty years since 9/11 and the War on Terror's Impact on the study of women in Afghanistan, especially in light of the recent US withdrawal.
A City in Fragments: Urban Text in Modern Jerusalem with Yair Wallach and Shira Robinson
Thursday, 9/30/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
A City in Fragments tells the modern history of a city overwhelmed by its religious and symbolic significance.
Arabic Teacher Workshop on Teaching Arabic Language & Culture through Food with Mariya Chakir
Monday, 9/20/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
In this workshop I will show how we can teach Arabic language and culture through food.
A History of False Hope: Investigative Commissions in Palestine with Lori Allen and Arie Dubnov
Thursday, 9/9/2021, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
This book offers a provocative retelling of Palestinian political history through an examination of the international commissions that have investigated political violence and human rights violations.
'Anamel' a Collaborative Online Anthology of Arabic Modules
Saturday, 8/28/2021, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
DC Arabic Teachers' Council Workshop
Thursday, 8/26/2021, 4:00pm - 5:45pm
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover will have a global impact. It seems likely to reshape regional politics, lead to questions about American credibility, and create a humanitarian crisis. What will Afghanistan look like with no American presence? How will the Taliban govern? How will other countries in the region deal with the collapse of the Afghan government? This panel invites several distinguished scholars and policymakers to discuss how developments in Afghanistan will influence central Asia, the United States, and the world in future months.
K-5 Arabic Teachers' Resource Exchange and Social Hour
Tuesday, 7/27/2021, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
DC Arabic Teachers' Council K-5 Social Hour