Events
The Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies supports events that increase awareness of the history and cultures of the Middle East and Muslim civilizations, and values diverse perspectives that promote dialogue and understanding. Events listed here originate from a variety of campus units and community organizations. The listing of an event does not constitute endorsement of or agreement with the views presented therein.
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September 2019
Exhibition: She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World
During this critical time for Iran and the Arab world, as national and personal identities are being dismantled and rebuilt, contemporary photography reflects the complexities of unprecedented change. One of the most significant trends to emerge is the work of women photographers, whose remarkable and provocative images provide insights into new cultural landscapes, questioning tradition and challenging perceptions of Middle Eastern and Arab identity. “She Who Tells a Story” brings together the vital pioneering work of 12 leading artists,…
Find out more »October 2019
Film Festival: Home Is Distant Shores
The film festival Home Is Distant Shores looks at the experience of immigrants and refugees in the U.S. and the Triangle. The three-part series includes fictional and documentary pieces from local filmmakers, expert panel discussions, and a celebratory reception. For more information, visit here. October 2 My Story Five short films of personal experience and a panel discussion with immigrants and refugees. Middle East-related films include: Scent of Geranium by Naghmeh Farzaneh, Zain’s Summer: From Refugee to American Boy by Joshua…
Find out more »Discussion: “Teaching Palestine: Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Academic Freedom” with Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University
Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi is an internationally-known scholar and a distinguished professor and researcher. She is the Director and Senior Scholar in the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas and Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies/Race and Resistance Studies at the historic College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University. Before joining SFSU, she served as the first director of the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan, Dearborn. Her scholarship, pedagogy and public activism focuses on Palestine,…
Find out more »Public Talk: “Business in the Middle East: Opportunities and Perils” with Naijad Fares
Mr. Nijad Fares will deliver a talk on business issues in the MENA countries, highlighting advantages and resources as well as potential challenges including the cultural, religious, bureaucratic, and geopolitical landscapes. Mr. Fares is the Director of WEDGE Group Incorporated and Chief Executive Officer of WEDGE Equities. He is Chairman of Link Group, L.L.C., as well as Chairman of Ultraflote Corporation. Mr. Fares serves as Vice-Chair of the American Task Force for Lebanon. In 2011, Mr. Fares was named to the Board of…
Find out more »A Conversation: “Israel, the United States & the Middle East: Threats, Challenges and Opportunities” with former Israeli Minister Tzipi Livni
Livni is a former Foreign Minister of Israel, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Leader of the Opposition. Over the course of her career in government service, Lizni has held critical portfolios, serving as Minister of Justice, Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset, and Minister for the Promotion of the Diplomatic Process. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007. She was also selected for the Quality of Governance…
Find out more »Artist Talk: Photographer Rania Matar
Rania Matar is a Lebanese/Palestinian/American documentary, portrait and fine art photographer. She photographs the daily lives of girls and women in the Middle East and in the United States, including Syrian refugees. She will discuss her work in conjunction with the She Who Tells a Story exhibition. She Who Tells a Story brings together the vital pioneering work of 12 leading artists from Iran and the Arab world, ranging in genre from portraiture to documentary: Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula…
Find out more »Lecture: “When Sacrifice Began: Sacrifice and Narrative in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature” with Joseph Lam (UNC)
Joseph Lam, Department of Religious Studies, UNC Chapel Hill, is a scholar of the languages, texts, and literatures of the ancient Near East, focusing on the diverse written traditions of the Levant (Syria-Palestine) in the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE, including the Hebrew Bible and the texts from ancient Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra). He studies the elucidation of ancient religious thought and practice through the analysis of (sometimes difficult-to-decipher) written sources. Lam maintains an active engagement with general questions…
Find out more »Art Exhibition Event: Family and Friends Sunday at the Ackland Art Museum
Join us as we explore the Ackland’s traveling exhibition, She Who Tells a Story. She Who Tells a Storybrings together the vital pioneering work of 12 leading artists from Iran and the Arab world, ranging in genre from portraiture to documentary: Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat, and Newsha Tavakolian. The exhibition features over 80 photographs, lent by the artists, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the collection of James Keith Brown and Eric Diefenbach. -Enjoy…
Find out more »K-12 Workshop: She Who Tells a Story: Women and Gender in the Middle East
K-12 teachers are invited to join the Ackland Art Museum, Carolina K-12, and the Duke UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies to explore the topic of women and gender in the Middle East. During this interdisciplinary, arts-integrated workshop, teachers will learn about how women have shaped political, social, and cultural life of the Middle East, while making connections to the Ackland’s special exhibition, She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World. The workshop will highlight the diversity of…
Find out more »Discussion: “US-Israel Relations: Between the White House, Congress, and the Israeli Government” with Amir Tibon
There is a growing split between Democrats and Republicans, as well as between the White House and Congress, on the issue of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, Israel went through two elections within five months, and could have another one quite soon. Israeli journalist Amir Tibon will discuss recent events in Washington, DC and in Israel and the impact they could have on the U.S.-Israel relationship, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the broader Middle East. For more information, contact…
Find out more »November 2019
Public Talk: “Help a Woman, Help the Planet” with Annie Griffiths
Photographer Annie Griffiths will present a 60-minute talk entitled Help a Woman, Help the Planet, followed by Q&A. This touches on all aspects of the Ripple mission of assistance to women globally, and will have a component on Syria and the refugee crisis. She will also show the Ripple Short Film The Water Wheel shot in a refugee camp by Ripple photographer Lynn Johnson, with music written by Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali. Guest Speaker: Annie Griffiths | National Geographic Photographer | Founder and Executive…
Find out more »Conversation: “Razia’s Ray of Hope: Girls Education in Afghanistan” with Razia Jan
Founder of a school for girls in Afghanistan, Razia Jan, will be speaking about the school and her efforts to support girls education in Afghanistan. The K-12 girls’ school, the Zabuli Education Center, provides more than 670 girls with free education as well as uniforms, shoes, warm coats, and meals. The Zabuli Education Center is located 30 miles outside of Kabul in Deh’Subz. An Afghan staff of 37 teachers and administrators is supported by a small, US-based foundation team. For more…
Find out more »“Countering Hate: Overcoming Fear of Differences” series: Signature lecture by Ken Stern, director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate
Kenneth S. Stern, director of Bard College’s Center for the Study of Hate, is an author and attorney. For 25 years he was the American Jewish Committee’s expert on antisemitism. He was the lead drafter of the “Working Definition of Antisemitism,” later adopted by the U.S. State Department. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and testified before Congress. He was an invited presenter at the White House Conference on Hate Crimes and an official member of the U.S.…
Find out more »Public Talk: “Brothers Behind Borders: Islamism and Nationalism in the Middle East” with Abdullah Al-Arian (Georgetown University, Qatar)
In the wake of the 2010-2011 Arab Spring uprisings and the emergence of Islamist parties as leading political actors in the post-authoritarian transitions, Western analyses were teeming with predictions that not only would groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and similar movements in other Arab countries sweep to power in their respective states, but that they would come together to form a unified front of Islamist-led governments from Morocco to Yemen. This paper seeks to interrogate the logic…
Find out more »Photo Books Pop-Up: Rare and Special Photo Books from the Sloane Art Library Collection
Presented in connection with She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World. She Who Tells a Story brings together the vital pioneering work of 12 leading artists from Iran and the Arab world, ranging in genre from portraiture to documentary: Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat, and Newsha Tavakolian. The exhibition features over 80 photographs, lent by the artists, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the collection of James Keith Brown…
Find out more »UNC World View Community College Symposium: Confronting Poverty Globally and Locally
Poverty is a worldwide threat. It has a direct impact on North Carolina where the poverty rate remains above historical averages (North Carolina Poverty Report, 2018). This symposium will explore topics and strategies that address poverty globally and locally. Through engaging interactive breakout sessions, plenary talks, and panel discussions, educators will learn about resources and build a network of colleagues who are passionate about this work. This program is designed for community college instructors of all disciplines, as well…
Find out more »UNC World View K-12 Global Education Symposium: The Sustainable Development Goals: Classroom Connections
In 2015 almost 200 governments adopted the Sustainable Development Goals to guide what must be done to improve the health and well-being of the world’s population. During UNC World View’s 2019 annual global education symposium educators will explore the 17 global goals and their importance. Educators will leave with strategies for integrating global content across curriculum and other global education resources. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anthony Jackson, Vice President and Director, Center for Global Education at Asia Society Continuing Education Units offered. #WorldView2019…
Find out more »February 2020
Humanities in Class Webinar: “Bridging Past and Present: Afghanistan as the Crossroads of Eurasia” with Alka Patel (University of California-Irvine)
Dr. Alka Patel (PhD, Harvard 2000) is a leading scholar of the Islamic art and architectural history of South Asia dating to the 12th through 18th centuries. She is currently Professor of Art History at the University of California-Irvine, and was a NHC Fellow in 2018-2019. Presented by the National Humanities Center, Humanities in Class webinars are live, interactive professional development webinars on compelling topics by leading scholars for humanities educators and advocates of all levels. All webinars are free of charge. For more information…
Find out more »April 2020
Humanities in Class Webinar: “Understanding the Modern Middle East” with Akram Khater (North Carolina State University)
Far too often, the Middle East appears as doubly alien: out of place and out of time. A century of popular culture caricatures, at least two centuries of Orientalist representations, and decades of American military interventions, have all fed into the notion of the Middle East as turmoil-laden, sectarian and tribal pre-modern world. In this webinar, we will go beyond these stereotypes to look at the historical forces that shaped the region across the 20th century, and to understand the…
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