Archive for 2020

Ma’rifa: A Shi’a Youth Conference

Shi`a students today find themselves dealing with a myriad of challenges. Between the struggles of navigating faith in America, creating spaces to cultivate spirituality, balancing several identities, as well as being a minority within the Muslim community, students need a meaningful forum to engage these issues.

Bahrain upholds death sentences for two men tortured to confess

Responding to the news that Bahrain’s High Criminal Court of Appeal today upheld the death sentences of Mohamed Ramadhan and Hussain Moosa, two men convicted in 2014 following a grossly unfair trial that relied heavily on torture-tainted “confessions”, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said

See also Middle East Eye.
See also BIRD Weekly 257.
See also ADHRB number 330.

 

1.Conference “Digital Humanities in Arabic”, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar, 20-21 April 2020

This conference focuses on issues pretraining to the praxis of Digital Humanities in diverse geographical contexts, countries, and cultures, especially Arabic. The conference is very multidisciplinary by nature with the aim of advancing the current state of knowledge for researchers in Arabic literature, culture, media, arts, history, political science, and sociology.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 January 2020. Information: https://socialhistoryportal.org/news/articles/309989

 

 

 

 

2. Early Career Academics Symposium in Honour of Fred Halliday, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics, 30 April 2020

The main objective will be to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between researchers in the last year of their PhD, or still within three years of having completed one, undertaking research on any of the topics that Fred Halliday worked on: Greater West Asia/the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, revolutions, historical sociology, gender, nationalism and internationalism, historical International Relations.

Information: http://www.lse.ac.uk/international-relations/ir-events/fh-symposium

 

 

 

 

3. 11^th Annual Conference of the “Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)“, George Washington University, 21-22 May 2020

Papers will focus on the politics of the contemporary Middle East. The conference will include workshop sessions on each accepted paper, with each paper read by multiple senior scholars in the field with an eye towards preparing them for submission for publication.

Information: https://pomeps.org/call-for-proposals-11th-annual-pomeps-conference

 

 

 

 

4. International Conference: “The Discourse of Anger in the Arab World since 2011”, Grenoble Alpes University, 28-29 May 2020

Researchers in Arabic Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Political Communication, Psycholinguistics, Sociology, History and other related disciplines are invited to submit proposals to this conference. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary research that tackles any aspect of the discourse of anger in the Arab world. Papers are invited in Arabic and French.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 February 2020.

Information: http://cefas.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/cfp_the_discourse_of_angerfv.pdf

 

 

 

 

5. Conference of the Working Group “Ethnology of Reiligion“ of  the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 6-9 September 2020

The conference wants to draw closer to the current as well as historical dynamics of the “religion-nature” interdependence and thus to the cultural ecologies of beliefs. We are interested in a broad set of questions and research foci, i.e.: how do religions and religious communities in past or present symbolically and ritually articulate and negotiate relationships with their immediate and distant environment? What role do other species – i.e. animals, plants – play within religious (knowledge) systems and practices? Etc.

 Deadline for abstracts: 1 March 2020. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/5651674/religion-and-nature-–-cultural-ecologies-belief

 

 

 

6. Grants for Three-years PhD Program at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) (Focus MENA Region), Hamburg

Requirements: Excellent MA in political science/international relations, economics, history, or a related discipline, high-quality project proposal that fits with the GIGA’s core research agenda with a focus on comparative area studies or a cross-regional focus, strong command of the English language. Starting 1 October 2020.

Deadline for applications: 1 February 2020. Information: https://www.giga-hamburg.de/sites/default/files/md_pdf/GIGA-20-01_DP_CfA_external_funding.pdf

 

 

 

 

7. Faculty Positions for Middle Eastern History & Arabic Language plus Others, Gulf University for Science & Technology (GUST), Kuwait

Open Faculty positions at GUST are to start in Fall 2020. Review of applications begins in December and will continue until the positions are filled.

– Assistant Professor in Middle Eastern History; https://www.gust.edu.kw/Vacancy_details/92977

– Assistant Professor in Arabic Language; https://www.gust.edu.kw/Vacancy_details/92978

– Further vacancies: https://www.gust.edu.kw/vacancies

 

 

 

8. One-Year Fellowships for Researchers at the Pre-doctoral, Postdoctoral, and Junior Faculty Level for Research Related to Middle Eastern Governance and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA

Applications from political scientists, historians, economists, sociologists, and other social scientists are welcome. Eligible candidates include advanced doctoral candidates, recent recipients of a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, and untenured faculty members. Priority will be given to applications pursuing one of these six primary areas of focus: Improving governance; building peace; revitalizing the state; broadening financial and labor markets; governing technology; adapting to environmental challenges; etc.

Deadline for applications: 15 January 2020.

Information: http://links.hks-belfercenter.mkt4851.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MjI2MDIyMjUS1&r=MjM2MzYyMzc5OTU1S0&j=MTY2MDA4NzMyNgS2&mt=1&rt=0

 

 

 

 

9. Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking Middle East, Australian National University, Canberra

This position requires active independent contribution to research, undergraduate and graduate teaching and the supervision of research students.  Knowledge and research competency in Arabic language is desirable.

 Deadline for applications: 20 January 2020. Information: https://socioloxy.com/senior-lecturer-in-politics-and-international-relations-of-the-arabic-speaking-middle-east,i6247.html

 

 

 

10. MA in Islamic & West Asian Studies (1 Year), Royal Holloway University of London

Based at Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, this degree provides empirically-grounded engagement with West Asia, combining an understanding of Islamic and regional history, with a clear connection to contemporary policy-relevant issues.

Deadline for application: For more information visit: https://bit.ly/37tQgFh or email: ciwas@rhul.ac.uk

 

 

 

11. The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center (SQCC) is now accepting applications for the
2020 Summer Arabic Language and Media (SALAM) program, a fully-funded
competitive scholarship program to study intensive Arabic in Manah, Oman. The
SALAM scholarship allows students to gain a deeper knowledge of Arabic, while becoming
familiar with Omani history and culture.

Eligibility: All applicants must be U.S. citizens, enrolled in a degree seeking program (BA,
MA, or PhD) in Spring 2020, and have completed at least four semesters (or the
equivalent) of university-level Arabic coursework.

SALAM 2020 Program Dates: 29 May – 21 July 2020

To submit an application, or for more information,
please visit the SALAM page on the SQCC website.

Deadline: 15 February, 2020

 

 

 

 

12. Call For Proposals: Jack G. Shaheen Research Grants 

Sponsored by the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University

In collaboration with the NYU Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Deadline: January 15, 2020 5:00 p.m. EST

The Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU are pleased to announce the first annual competition for the Jack G. Shaheen Research Grants. These grants are meant to facilitate travel to and accommodation in New York City over a short period of time for scholars conducting archival research in the Jack G. Shaheen Collection on Arabs in US Film and Television held at the NYU Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, Kevorkian Center’s Ettinghausen Library, and Asian/Pacific/American Institute. Grants will be made at one of two levels described below, ranging between $500 and $2500, for research stays approximately three weeks in length. All recipients will be eligible for Visiting Researcher or Visiting Scholar status at NYU, and recipients will be encouraged to participate in the intellectual life of the Kevorkian Center and A/P/A Institute during their stay. Further information about the Shaheen Collection can be found below and at this link.

Exploratory Grants:  

This grant category is meant for early career researchers who are interested in conducting exploratory research in the Jack G. Shaheen Collection over a brief period — as little as one week or up to three — in order to assess and familiarize oneself with the available materials in preparation for more substantive future research. We highly encourage early career researchers and graduate students working on dissertation proposals to apply in this category.

For applicants in this category, your application will require the following:

1. A project proposal describing your broader research agenda, how the Jack G. Shaheen Collection may fit into it, and a rough time frame of when you would like to travel to New York to spend time with the archive. This proposal should not be longer than two single-spaced pages.
2. A curriculum vitae
3. A budget documenting your estimated travel and accommodation expenses in the range of $500 and $2500
4. Name and contact information of your doctoral dissertation or M.A. thesis advisor

 

Residential Research Grants:

This grant category is open to more senior scholars who are interested in conducting substantive research in the Jack G. Shaheen Collection at NYU. These grants would fund approximately three weeks of research in New York. Scholarship recipients may be invited to present their research and findings at a Kevorkian Center and/or A/P/A Institute event, in which case further remuneration may be made available, depending on circumstances.

For applicants in this category, your application will require the following:

1. A project proposal describing your broader research agenda, how the Jack G. Shaheen Collection may fit into it, and a rough time frame of when you would like to travel to New York and spend time in the archive. This proposal should not be longer than two single-spaced pages.
2. A curriculum vitae
3. A budget documenting your estimated travel and accommodation expenses in the range of $500 to $2500

Apply Here.

Contact information: kevorkian.center@nyu.edu

 

Themed Section on ‘The comparative politics of sub‐state identity in the Middle East’: Nations and Nationalism: Vol 26, No 1

Click on the title to browse this issue

with articles by Toby Dodge, Fanar Haddad, Raymond Hinnebusch and Morten Valbjørn

1.Inaugural Middle East Conference 2020 – Ideas Towards New Agendas

The Middle Eastern Studies Department (MESD) at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) in Hamad Bin Khalifa University is proud to host this inaugural two-day international conference on 20-21 April 2020 in the Education City in Doha. This is an interdisciplinary conference and we expect participants with expertise from a broad range of academic disciplines in both social sciences and humanities. The conference aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on Middle East studies in its quest for developing new research agendas.

Representations of the Middle East in recent years have been beset with disturbing images of conflict and civil war, radicalism and sectarian strife, ethnic and gender violence, and destruction and forced displacement. Such portrayals are not limited to popular discourse alone; the academic and research agenda too have been securitised by concerns over radicalism and identity politics. The perception that the Middle East is somehow different in an unfortunate manner from the rest of the world has thus reshaped – and arguably distorted – both public understanding and the research agenda of the region.

This conference presents an opportunity to recast the Middle East beyond the reductive daily headlines. The case for the conference and its timing emanate from an urgent need to redress a distorted research agenda which has in recent years been unduly shaped by conflict, radicalism and security issues.

The principal objective is to take steps to develop a new, more constructive agenda for Middle East studies which recognises the region’s evolving characteristics and challenges, but also sees these in the wider context of international dynamics and interactions. We encourage participants to re-think and re-imagine the epistemologies, directions and agendas of our field.

Deadline for Submission – 16 JAN 2020

More info at: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/mec

 

 

 

2. 11th Gulf Research Meeting

July 21-23, 2020, University of Cambridge

We are soliciting paper proposals for Gulf Research Meeting workshop titled Nationalization of GCC Labor Markets: The Changing Role of Higher Education in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution to be held at the University of Cambridge on July 21-23.

 

The aim of this workshop is to compare and contrast: the outcomes of investment in human capital on nationalization of GCC labor markets in the last decades, the current state of the labor markets with a special focus on the educational preparedness, i.e. employability, of the GCC nationals to enter the fourth industrial revolution; and future prognoses related to the labor market evolution and human capital development. The latter is based on qualitative education, training, knowledge, technology and innovation; and encompasses a breadth of non-tangible skills that a population possesses such as organization, leadership, work habits, initiative, problem solving, confidence, trustworthiness, etc. (Abdullah, 2010).

While the region’s young people have attained higher education levels than their parents, they have not been able to translate their education attainment to greater income opportunities. Furthermore, the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution offers new opportunities but also presents new challenges. The potential for technology to disrupt the GCC labor market is powerful. According to the World Government Summit 2019, 45% of existing work activities in the GCC labor market are potentially automatable today which cuts across both public and private sector. This automation potential could translate into significant economic value, but it also places pressures on education systems to produce graduates with a new set of skills which is beyond academic attainment. According to the IBM Institute for Business Value Report 2019, the shortage of skilled workers by 2030 is expected to reach more than 85 million workers globally. Today the half-life of a learned skill is expected to be five years and even shorter for technical skills. Skills required today take longer to learn because of the focus on behavioral skills and soft skills. Other new technology related skills also take more time as they are highly technical and changing rapidly. The role of education is primordial to prepare graduates to fit in within these new labor market conditions. As the region moves into the 4th Industrial Revolution, the workshop will investigate the intersections of policy making, education and technology in the region.

 

Full description of the workshop can be found here http://grm.grc.net/grm2020-call-for-papers/pdf/ws7.pdf

and the application form is available here http://grm.grc.net/grm2020-call-for-papers/pdf/GRM2020-application-form.pdf

Deadline: 15 February 2020

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