Student News

2/15/17 Call for Papers: Evolving Perspectives in the Middle East & North Africa

Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies

Graduate Student Symposium

University of Michigan

Abstract Due: February 15, 2017

The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan invites abstract submissions of no more than 300 words for its 3rd annual Graduate Student Symposium, Evolving Perspectives in the Middle East and North Africa to be held April 3-4, 2017. Papers must address the modern Middle East or North Africa in some way and be the product of graduate research, either at the MA or PhD level.

Panels will be organized into themes based on accepted papers. Past panel topics have included Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, Arab and Persian Art, Women in the Middle East through Film and Pop-Culture, and Education and Knowledge Production in the Middle East and North Africa.

Papers may focus on issues including but not limited to: (1) country-specific considerations, (2) gender and society, (3) visual or material culture, (4) postcolonial studies, and (5) literature.

Abstracts, along with a short CV, should be sent to the organizing committee at ebgc@umich.edu by February 15, 2017.

Final decisions will be announced via email by February 25, 2017.

Israel Academic Travel Awards 2016

Israel Academic Travel Awards Flyer

Deadline: March 25, 2016

UConn Global Affairs, Judaic Studies, and Middle East Studies are pleased to announce a competition for four awards for academic study in Israel in the summer of 2016. The deadline for application is March 25, 2016. The competition is open to UConn undergraduate and graduate students.

Each award of $1500 may be used to defray expenses such as airfare and registration costs. Awardees will submit a written summary of their travel experience by September 15, 2016.

Please go to judaicstudies.uconn.edu for application details (coming soon). 

This program is not open to current seniors graduating in May 2016, or to incoming students. Summer is defined according to the UConn calendar (end of May through end of August).

Questions? Contact judaicstudies@uconn.edu.

Hanson Scholarship for International Internships: Due March 15

The UConn Individualized and Interdisciplinary Studies Program is now accepting applications for the 2015 Elizabeth C. Hanson Scholarship. The scholarship provides up to $1,500 in support of students who are pursuing an internship in an international setting or in an organization deeply engaged in international matters. Undergraduates interested in international relations, international political economy, critical global issues, and international culture and institutions are eligible to apply.

To be eligible to apply:

  • The applicant must be an undergraduate at UConn in good academic standing.
  • The applicant must be applying for, or hold an offer from, an internship with an organization deeply engaged in international matters.
  • The internship must entail at least 126 hours of work.
  • The applicant must enroll in an internship course of at least three credits prior to undertaking the work.
  • Internships done abroad must be approved by UConn Education Abroad. Your internship may be part of an existing study abroad program or you may petition to have your internship approved by Education Abroad.

Application Submission Deadline: March 15, 2016 at 5 pm in Rowe 403

For more information please visit the Hanson Scholarship page of the Individualized & Interdisciplinary Studies website or email iisp@uconn.edu.

For more information, contact: Krista Rogers at iisp@uconn.edu.

31st Annual Middle East History and Theory Conference: THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

19524-580x481May 6–7, 2016

We invite graduate students, affiliated faculty, and independent scholars from a broad range of disciplines to submit proposals on any topic concerning the Middle East and Islamic world from the advent of Islam to the present day. Disciplinary focuses include but are not limited to: history, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, literature, philosophy, art history, cinema and media studies, gender studies, and diaspora studies. If you are unsure about the suitability of your topic, feel free to email us (see address below). Approximately 50 papers will be selected and arranged into themed panels of three or four.

Individual submissions and preformed panels are both welcome, though the latter is especially encouraged. Participants should be prepared to deliver a maximum twenty-minute presentation and respond to questions or comments from an assigned discussant. Written papers should be circulated to panel members at least two weeks before the conference.

Application. Please send submissions electronically to mehat.conference@uchicago.edu by no later than Friday, February 12, 2016. Please include each presenter’s name, institution, and position (graduate student, professor, independent scholar, etc.), and attach a 250-word abstract with a tentative title. The best abstracts will summarize the paper’s topic, its relationship and contribution to existing scholarship and specific conclusions. Abstracts will be collated by an assistant and evaluated anonymously by the coordinators; therefore, please do not include names or any identifying information in the abstract. Selection results will be announced in the middle of March 2016.

Sponsored panels. As in previous years, two of our sponsors are offering limited funding to support special panels in the following fields: (1) modern Arabic literature and (2) Central Eurasian studies. Participants chosen for one of these panels may be eligible for a modest travel subsidy. Those interested should submit their abstracts according to the process outlined above, with a note indicating their interest in being a part of one of these sponsored panels. Applicants not placed on a special panel will still receive full consideration for the general conference. Please circulate widely. Updates and announcements will be shared on the MEHAT website and Facebook page.

For all inquiries, please write to mehat.conference@uchicago.edu.

Conference Coordinators:

Mariam Sheibani PhD Student, NELC University of Chicago

Amir Toft PhD Student, NELC University of Chicago

Narrating the Arab Spring

Spring 2016 Course:
CLSC 3888
W 2:00 – 4:45PM
In English
Professor: Amara Lakhous
Amara.lakhous@gmail.com
Click here for the flyer.

The Arab Spring was a political, social, and cultural earthquake. In a short period of time, four dictators were forced out of office: in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. While each case must be studied separately, the very fact of their overthrow is proof that the Arab world is not homogeneous. In Tunisia and Egypt, the uprisings were successful because certain elements of modernity, including a strong civil society, existed. Tunisia, for example, promulgated its first constitution in 1861; Egypt formed its first parliament in 1866, just five years after the unification of Italy. The situation differed in Yemen, Libya and Syria, societies based on tribes and clans, without the necessary elements of the modern state. Our study will encompass and confront these realities.

Our attempt to understand the Arab Spring will be based on the narratives of writers, filmmakers,artists, photographers, cartoonists, musicians, etc. We shall attempt to analyze the Arab Spring within its three essential time frames: before, during, and, especially, the aftermath. We shall examine causes and effects: What role did corruption play in the advent of the Arab Spring? Why was non-violence understood as essential to its success? Why did the violence of the military and the fundamentalists result in the failure of these revolutions? Why did certain Arab countries “miss” their Arab Spring?

Israel Academic Travel Awards 2015

Israel-CollageMiddle East Studies, Global Affairs, and Judaic Studies are pleased to announce a competition for four awards for academic study in Israel in the summer of 2015.

Deadline for application is Monday, April 20, 2015 at 5 pm.

Eligibility: UConn undergraduate and graduate students.

Each award of $1500 may be used to defray expenses such as airfare and registration costs. Awardees will submit a written summary of their travel experience by September 15, 2015.

The following application materials should be emailed to judaicstudies@uconn.edu:


  • Name, contact information, and status at UConn, including major(s) or field of study
  • A resume or summary of activities
  • The name, dates, and cost of the academic program the student will attend in Israel. Please indicate whether you have applied and been accepted to the program. If not, indicate when you expect to hear from the program about your application.
  • A statement of up to 300 words as to why you want to attend the program and how it would help advance your academic interests.

This program is not open to current seniors graduating in May 2015, or to incoming students.  Summer is defined according to the UConn calendar (end of May through end of August).

Download poster with details.

8th Annual ASMEA Conference: Call for Papers & Panels

October 29 – 31, 2015

Key Bridge Marriott Hotel * Washington, D.C.

ASMEA is currently seeking proposals for paper and panel presentations for its Eighth Annual Conference. Scholars from any discipline, tenured or untenured faculty, or those otherwise affiliated with a recognized research institution, may submit proposals to present at the Conference. Unique proposals from senior graduate students (ABD) will also be considered. Proposals on topics related to the Middle East and Africa should consist of a one-page outline of new and unpublished research. A recent C.V. with all contact data also must be included with name, e-mail, phone number, and affiliation.

The deadline for proposals is Monday, March 30, 2015.

SUBMIT PAPER Proposals
SUBMIT PANEL Proposals
REGISTER for the Eighth Annual Conference.

ASMEA offers the following GRANT OPPORTUNITIES to its Members in conjunction with the Eighth Annual Conference.

ASMEA Research Grants
The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa is pleased to offer research grants of up to $2500 to qualified professors and students engaged in the study of the Middle East and Africa. Application deadline is Monday, March 2, 2015. Find out more information, HERE.

Moroccan Studies Research Grant
ASMEA and the Moroccan-American Cultural Center (MACC) are pleased to offer research grants for scholars and students whose research is focused on the Kingdom of Morocco. Grants of up to $2500 will be awarded to qualified applicants. Application deadline is Monday, March 2, 2015. Find out more information, HERE.

Conference Travel Grant
ASMEA is pleased to offer travel grants of up to $500 to attend the Eighth Annual Conference for qualified members whose paper proposal is accepted for presentation and have not been awarded any other grant from ASMEA. Applications will be available in the Spring.

 

Any questions or for more information, contact ASMEA at 202.429.8860 or info@asmeascholars.org<mailto:info@asmeascholars.org>.

Call for Proposals: Grants for Postdoctoral Fellows for research in the fields of

Post Doctoral Fellowship for research in the fields:

  • The Persian Gulf Today
  • Iran since the Islamic Revolution
  • Contemporary North Africa

See the Truman Institute website for application instructions:

http://truman.huji.ac.il/?cmd=grantsandscholarships.269  (Hebrew)

http://truman.huji.ac.il/?cmd=grantsandscholarships.270  (English)

Closing date for applications: February 15th, 2015

Call for Papers: CMENAS Graduate Student Symposium

The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan invites abstract submissions of no more than 300 words for its inaugural Graduate Student Symposium to be held April 9, 2015. Papers must address the modern Middle East or North Africa in some way and be the product of graduate research, either at the MA or PhD level.

Panels will be organized into themes based on accepted papers. Such themes may include, but are not limited to (1) country-specific considerations, (2) gender and society, (3) visual or material culture, (4) post-colonial studies, and (5) literature.

Abstracts, along with a short CV, should be sent to the organizing committee at  cmenas.graduate.student.symposium@umich.edu

Abstract Due: January 15, 2015
Final decisions will be announced via email before February 1, 2015.