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Center for Middle East Studies Events Archive _________________________________________________________ Fall 2009 Middle East Events:
"Paradise Now" Film Screening / MCC Theater Wednesday, October 7, 6 pm A 2006 Golden Globe winner for best foreign language film, Paradise Now intensely and powerfully tells the story of two lifelong friends that are tapped by an unidentified Palestinian resistance organization to carry out a suicide bombing together in Tel Aviv. Hany Abu-Assad, 91 min., Arabic and English, 2005, Palestine. Sponsored by the Multicultural Center _________________________________________________________
Thursday, October 8 - Friday, December 11 Exhibition Thursday, October 8, 4 pm Opening Reception Art Exhibit/MCC Lounge Insidiously, from generation to generation, racism and anti-Semitism are perpetuated in Africa and the Middle East, in Europe, and on the streets of Los Angeles. Race, Lies and Stereotypes presents powerful international and domestic graphics that penetrate the experience of discrimination. The exhibition illustrates historical and current events on the world stage and explores efforts to combat stereotypes. By showing the pervasiveness of bigotry and discrimination, this exhibition emphasizes that intolerance can be avoided by the active involvement of individuals to ensure that the past is not repeated. Produced by the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Los Angeles, California. Sponsored by the Multicultural Center _________________________________________________________
Forces of Fortune: Sunday, October 11 / 3:00 pm / Free Victoria Hall, 33 West Victoria Street, Santa Barbara Click Here for Event Flyer (pdf) Vali Nasr, Senior advisor to special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, discusses his just-released book, Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World. Fareed Zakaria described it as “a brilliant guide to the complex landscape of the Middle East.” Nasr is also the author of Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam will Shape the Future, The Islamic Leviathan: Islam and the Making of State Power, and The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution. Courtesy of Borders, copies of Forces of Fortune will be available for purchase and signing at this event. Presented by the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life at UCSB and cosponsored by the UCSB Center for Middle East Studies. www.cappscenter.ucsb.edu For assistance in accommodating a disability, please call 893-2317. _________________________________________________________
Tuesday, October 13 7:30 pm, Campbell Hall "Wonderful movie! Takes us someplace few movies have…the film’s hard-won good vibes had the audience cheering!" The Boston Globe After years of war and Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to Afghanistan as millions tune in to the wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Winner of the Directing and Audience Awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, this timely and moving film follows the dramatic stories of four young finalists as they hazard everything to become the nation’s favorite performer. The perfect window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity, the film observes how what Americans consider frivolous entertainment can become downright revolutionary in this troubled part of the world. (Havana Marking, 2009, 88 min.) General public $6.00 / UCSB Students $5.00 Sponsored by the University of California, Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures _________________________________________________________ The Center for Middle East Studies Welcomes You to a: Beginning of the Year Reception Tuesday, October 20, 2009 There will be Middle Eastern Music and Light Refreshments will be served. Please contact Laura Pollick at the Center for Middle East Studies for additional information, 893-4245, cmes@cmes.ucsb.edu Click here for reception flyer (pdf) _________________________________________________________ How America Can Bring Arabs and Israelis Together Wednesday, October 21 / 8:00 pm / Free David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and co-author with Dennis Ross of the just-released book, Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East in conversation with Ghaith al-Omari, previously Advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and currently Advocacy Director at the American Task Force in Palestine. Copresented with Santa Barbara Hillel and the Israel on Campus Coalition, Washington, D.C. _________________________________________________________
Magda Campo Lecture / Demo - MCC Lounge Ful Midammis, falafel anyone? Egyptian fast food dishes throughout the Middle East, although simple in their appearance and preparation, are part of Egyptian identity and culture and encompass religious meanings and practices. In her talk, Magda Campo, who teaches Arabic in the Religious Studies Department at UC Santa Barbara, will discuss the significance of these dishes accompanied by a demonstration on how to make them. Sponsored by the Multicultural Center _________________________________________________________
Organized by Janet Afary (UCSB) Friday, October 23, 2009 Conference in English Speakers: Cost: Admission is free, Parking can be purchased at Lot 4 For more information please contact Sponsor: UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies _________________________________________________________
Keith David Watenpaugh Tuesday, November 3 / 4:00 PM Prof. Watenpaugh examines the League of Nations' efforts on behalf of displaced Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian women and children in the 1920s. The rescuing of trafficked survivors of genocide and civil violence--a seemingly unambiguous good--was at once a constitutive act in drawing the boundaries of the international community, a critical moment in the definition of humanitarianism, and a site of resistance to the colonial presence in the post-Ottoman Eastern Mediterranean. These efforts helped to bind the international community to Armenian communal survival and served as an ex post facto warrant for the World War. They also threatened late-Ottoman ethnic, religious, and gendered hierarchies, and the unalloyed dominance of post-Ottoman society by Turkish and Arabic speaking Sunni Muslims. Keith David Watenpaugh is Associate Professor of Modern Islam, Human Rights, and Peace in the Religious Studies program at the University of California, Davis. He works on the multiple intersections of the modern international human rights regime, Islam, and colonialism in the twentieth-century Arab Middle East. He is the author of Being Modern in the Middle East: Revolution, Nationalism, Colonialism, and the Arab Middle Class, and is now writing a book on international humanitarian efforts and the modern Middle East. Website: http://www.history.ucsb.edu/projects/ccws/events/ Sponsored by the Center for Cold War Studies and International History, and the Dept. of History. _________________________________________________________ For the Benefit of Suicide: Fatawa Literature in the Digital Domain Nathan French Wednesday, November 4 / 3:00 pm A Department of Religious Studies Colloguium: www.religion.ucsb.edu/news.html _________________________________________________________ The Santa Barbara Coalition for Global Dialogue presents:
John Arquilla Richard Falk Thursday, November 5 / 11:30 Luncheon Admission $25.00 (includes lunch) Click Here for Event Flyer (pdf) John Arquilla is Professor and Director of the Information Operations Center, Department of Defense Analysis, at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His teaching and research interests include conflict in the information-age, the revolution in military affairs, and irregular warfare. Among his publications are Worst Enemy: The Reluctant Transformation of the American Military(2008), Information Strategy and Warfare (2007), The Reagan Imprint: Ideas in American Foreign Policy from the Collapse of Communism to the War on Terror (2006), Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy (NDRI, 2001), and In Athena's Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age (RAND, 1997) Richard Falk is Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and Visiting Distinguished Professor in Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He currently serves as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian occupied territories and previously on the Independent International Commission on Kosovo. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including recently The Costs of War: International Law, the UN, and World Order after Iraq (2007) and The Great Terror War (2003), as well as Religion and Humane Global Governance (2001); On Humane Governance: Toward a New Global Politics (1995); The Promise of World Order (1988). He is coeditor of Crimes of War (2006) and The Vietnam War and International Law (1968). Professor Falk is an honorary vice president of the American Society of International Law and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. To confirm reservation, mail check to: _________________________________________________________
Spring Quarter 2009: May 2009 Events:
"Rasta" Sufis and Muslim Youth Culture in Mali Friday, May 1, 2009 View Event Flyer for details! (pdf) Sponsored by the IHC's African Studies RFG, the Center for Middle East Studies, the Department of History, and the Department of Religious Studies
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"In Our Own Words: A Changing Agenda in Sunday, May 3, 2009 Description: At least 40% of America's Muslims are under the age of 40. They rely on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace for their diverse social, political, and popular culture. Across the board, they are voting in record numbers, organizing for change, and striving to create platforms to tell their own stories in their own words. They are defining the future of Islam in America while confronting two complex and related questions: What does our country want from us, and what do we want from our country? Speaker Profile: As MPAC's Communications Director, Edina acts as a spokeswoman for the American Muslim community to media outlets, government officials, interfaith leaders, academic institutions, and community groups. Edina has appeared on national media outlets, including CNN, BBC, MSNBC, and the History Channel. Since joining MPAC, Edina's work has also been featured in several leading newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times. Edina regularly participates in national and international conferences and interfaith dialogues speaking on a variety of issues related to American Muslims. Edina is a co-founder of Elev8, an arts-based youth leadership program in Los Angeles, and is a founding board member of the American Muslim Civic Leaders Initiative. She will receive her M.A. in Communcation from Pepperdine University in May 2009, and received her B.A. in American Literature & Culture from UCLA. __________________________________________________________ Facts-on-File Encyclopedia of Islam Monday, May 4, 2009 All CMES Faculty and graduate students are invited to join in the celebration of the release of the Facts-on-File Encyclopedia of Islam. This book is conceived as a reference work for classroom use and the general public. Professor Juan E. Campo, principle author, with a significant number of contributions written by UCSB faculty and graduate students (and former graduate students. Live music will be provided by Scott Marcus and members of the inimitable Middle East Ensemble. Middle East-style refreshments will also be served. For those interested, paperback copies of the encyclopedia will be available for purchase by check or cash only. For additional information contact Prof. Juan Campo, jcampo@religion.ucsb.edu __________________________________________________________ The Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies presents a lecture and book launch event:
"How to Win a Cosmic War: Monday, May 4, 2009 Description: Dr. Reza Aslan is assistant professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside and a Senior Fellow at the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at U.C. Santa Barbara. He is a frequent commentator on CNN, CBS, and NPR, as well as cofounder and creative director of BoomGen Studios, a hub for creative content from and about the Middle East. He has degrees in Religions from Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. His articles and interviews have appeared in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Sojourners, Sun Magazine, the Guardian, and many other papers around the world. Born in Iran, he now lives in Los Angeles. His first book, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam was an international bestseller and has been translated into thirteen languages. A cosmic war is a religious war. It is a battle not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil. The ultimate goal of a cosmic war is to vanquish evil itself, which ensures that a cosmic war remains an absolute, eternal, and ultimately unwinnable conflict. Cosmic wars are fought not over land or politics but over identity. There can be no compromise, no negotiation, no settlement, and no surrender in a cosmic war. The Jihadists who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001 were fighting a cosmic war. According to Reza Aslan, by adopting the same religiously polarizing rhetoric and cosmic worldview in the so-called War on Terror, the U.S. is also fighting a cosmic war…a war that can’t be won. __________________________________________________________ The Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies presents: Amandeep Sandhu "The Globalization of Services and New Global Inequalities" Tuesday, May 5, 2009 __________________________________________________________ The Shalom/Salaam Conversations "Peace Initiatives" Panelists: Nancy Gallagher, Professor, UCSB Department of History Moderator: Salim Yaqub, Professor, UCSB Department of History Monday, May 11, 2009 Free pizza and beverages will be served. Click to download event flyer in pdf format. __________________________________________________________
Thursday, May 14, 2009 This talk will focus on the present difficulties of implementing human rights due to the conceptual and structural limitations of state-centric traditional international law. Without a re-imagining of international law, we can't even know what to struggle for, let alone have the ability to achieve desired outcomes. A more inclusive view of religious and cultural resources may provide the rationale and motivation for a re-imagining of international law to enact a new people-centric politics of human rights in the 21st century. Dr. An-Na’im incorporates in his discussion the recent International Criminal Court warrant against Sudan’s President Omar El Bashir as an example of this emerging new politics, and examines its religious and cultural rationales. Sponsored by the University of California Initiative on Human Rights, the Law and Society Program, the Orfalea Center for Global Studies, and the IHC’s Torture and the Future RFG. Click to download event flyer in pdf format. __________________________________________________________ The Department of Film and Media Studies at UCSB Presents a lecture by Egyptian Filmmaker and Scholar:
"Rituals of Hegemonic Masculinity: Torture & The Middle East in Film" Viola Shafik is a renowned film scholar and documentary filmmaker. Her historical work Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity (revised edition 2007) is a groundbreaking analysis of genre, political-economy, and film culture. She is also the author of Popular Egyptian Cinema: Gender, Class and Nation (2007). Her own films The Lemon Tree (1993), The Mother of Light and Her Daughters (1999), and The Planting of the Girls (1999) have an international audience. Her newest film is a feature length documentary with a working title of My Name is not Ali. It explores the life of El Hedi Ben Salem, German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder's unlucky North-African lover and lead player of Ali Fear Eats Soul (1973) who reputedly committed suicide. El Hedi Ben Salem, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's unlucky North-African lover, lead player of Ali Fear Eats Soul (1973) has been the subject of a myth: described as a 'cultural miracle' he was said to have terrified film director Fassbinder until he was jilted by him, only to take his own life soon after (sic.). The real life story of Ben Salem however seems governed not only by misled professional aspirations, congested love and multiple betrayals, but also by the sexualized politics of imagining and possessing the cultural Other. Click to download event flyer in pdf format. __________________________________________________________ Mourad Yelles Musical Traditions and Women Poetry in Algeria Sponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies For additional information contact Laura Pollick, lwpoll@cmes.ucsb.edu __________________________________________________________ Mourad Yelles Oral Performance and Written Creation in Maghrebi Literatures Sponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies For additional information contact Laura Pollick, lwpoll@cmes.ucsb.edu __________________________________________________________ Race Matters Series "Brooklyn Beats to Beirut Streets" For additional information call the MCC at 805-893-8411 __________________________________________________________ Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara
"Who Are the /Real /Chosen People? The Meaning of Chosenness in Judaism, Christianity and Islam" Tuesday, May 19, 2009
~ Harvey Cox, Hollis Professor of Divinity, Harvard University Description: Who is most beloved by God? Monotheists have often advanced the idea that their relationship with God is unique and superior to all others. Rabbi Reuven Firestone explores the idea of "chosenness" as articulated through the scriptures of the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Speaker Profile: Rabbi Firestone is Professor of Medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies, HUC-JIR/Los Angeles and is a senior fellow of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. He is co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, a joint project of HUC-JIR, USC, and the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Foundation (www.usc.edu/cmje). Prior to joining the HUC-JIR faculty, he taught at Boston University and was Yad Hanadiv Research Fellow at the Hebrew University. He received a Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) III research fellowship for the Spring 2006 semester for study at the American University of Cairo, funded by the Fulbright Binational Committee in Egypt and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2000 he was awarded a fellowship for independent research from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was chosen to be a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. Professor Firestone has written seven books and over seventy scholarly articles on early Islam and its relationship with Jews and Judaism, scriptural interpretation of the Bible and Qur'an, and the phenomenon of holy war. His publications include Journeys in Holy Lands, Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam, Children of Abraham and, most recently, Who Are the Real Chosen People? The Meaning of Chosenness in Judaism. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing at this event. __________________________________________________________
Saturday, May 30, 2009 For tickets, please contact the
_________________________________________________________ April 2009 Events: Film Series: "War and Nationalism in Arab Cinema" Five Wednesdays in April - Click here to view Film Schedule _________________________________________________________ The Shalom/Salaam Conversations Monday, April 6, 2009: The Gaza War and Its Aftermath Don't miss these next two scheduled dates for the Shalom/Salaam Conversations: Monday, April 20, 2009: Hamas Monday, May 11, 2009: Peace Initiatives All events are at the MultiCultural Center Theater, 5:00 pm. Click for Event Flyer in PDF Format. _________________________________________________________ A Presentation by Abdelwahab Meddeb
Thursday, April 16, 2009 Following in the footsteps of his acclaimed work on Islamic fundamentalism, The Malady of Islam (Basic Books, 2003), Meddeb goes back to the Quranic tradition and examines specific passages that instruct believers on how to deal with non-Muslims, focusing on different interpretations (tolerant vs. intolerant, peaceful vs. belligerent) to which these passages have given rise. Abdelwahab Meddeb, born in Tunisia and living in Paris, is a professor of comparative literature at Paris X University. A major writer, scholar, journalist, and host of the esteemed radio show Cultures d'Islam, Abdelwahab Meddeb is on a tour of American campuses this Spring. His works range from fiction Talismano (1976); Aya dans les villes (1999); to poetry Matière des oiseaux (2002); and essays on Islam and modernity The Malady of Islam (2003); Sortir de la malédiction. L'Islam entre civilisation et barbarie (2008). Sponsored by the Series in Contemporary Literature and co-sponsored by the Department of French and Italian, the Department of Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies, and the Comparative Literature Program, the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies and the Global and International Studies Program, the College of Creative Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Islamic Studies Endowed Chair, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center and the French Cultural Services. _________________________________________________________
Peter Bloom Thursday, April 23, 2009 Sponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies. _________________________________________________________ FILM: "View from a Grain of Sand" Introduction of film by Director, Meena Nanji Friday, April 24, 2009 Nancy Gallagher, Professor of the History Department at UCSB will give a talk and show slides of her experience visiting NGO's in Afghanistan. For further information, please contact Laura Pollick, cmes@cmes.ucsb.edu. _________________________________________________________
"CENTERING CENTRAL ASIA: Friday Evening, April 24 There will be a related film viewing and presentation on on Friday evening, April 24 as well as dinner and a Middle Eastern music performance following the conference on Saturday evening. The purpose of this gathering will be to examine this geographical juncture that has suddenly taken on such a prominent role in the world political situation. Usually this region is treated as the edges or margins of three or even four different "areas": Iran is usually considered the easternmost country of the Middle East, while Afghanistan and Pakistan are usually included in South Asia, and the Former Soviet Republics are treated separately as Central Asia. This division, however, does not allow us to see how these countries are interrelated, a situation which leads to a lack of understanding of one of the volatile and significant areas in the world today. The conference will deal with a variety of topics including identity, the impact of American presence in the region, the role of Islamic fundamentalism, and others. CLICK HERE TO VIEW CONFERENCE PROGRAM The two keynote speakers are renowned international scholars:
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March 2009:
Saturday, March 7, 2009 __________________________________________________________ February 2009:
Heather Stoll Monday, February 9, 2009 What is at stake in the upcoming Israeli elections slated for 10 February? In this talk, Professor Stoll will discuss how Israeli elections work (the system of government and electoral rules); who the candidates are and what kind of campaigns they have run; the likely outcomes; and, last but not least, the implications for government and policy. Heather Stoll is an assistant professor of political science at UCSB whose research interests range from comparative politics To political methodology. Download Event Flyer in PDF Format. This event is sponsored by the UCSB Center for Middle East Studies, and the UCSB Department of Political Science. Please contact Laura Pollick with any questions. cmes@cmes.ucsb.edu, 805-893-4245. __________________________________________________________ The Journal of Middle East Women's Studies Distinguished Lecture
Lila Abu-Lughod Wednesday, February 11, 2009 The concept of "Muslim women’s rights" has an extraordinarily active social life these days. It circulates across continents. It travels in and out of classrooms and government policy offices; UN forums in New York and Geneva and local women's organizations in places like Egypt, Malaysia, and Palestine; racy television soap operas and sober mosque study groups; popular novels recognizable by the veiled women stamped on their covers and innovative model marriage contracts developed by Muslim feminists seeking equity within the religious tradition. What do we make of this intense concern with "Muslim women’s rights" and what do we make of its promiscuous travels? "Women's rights" mean different things to women living complicated lives in villages and urban lawyers drawing seamlessly on the authority of CEDAW. What can we learn from tracking "rights talk," as an anthropologist would, into everyday lives? Lila Abu-Lughod is the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science at Columbia University. She teaches in the Anthropology Department and at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. An anthropologist who has done extensive fieldwork in Egypt on women, gender politics, and expressive culture, including media, she is the author of three award-winning ethnographies: Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society (IUAES Silver Medal; Chicago Folklore Prize, honorable mention); Writing Women’s Worlds (Victor Turner Award); and Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt (American Ethnological Society Book Prize). She has edited or co-edited Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East; Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain and Nakba: Palestine, 1948 and the Claims of Memory. Currently a Carnegie Scholar, she is working on a book that critically examines the international circulation of discourses on women's human rights, and the particular ways that Muslim women’s rights are problematized in this political moment. Download Event Flyer in PDF Format. The event is sponsored by the Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, the UCSB Center for Middle East Studies, the UCSB Department of Feminist Studies, the UCSB Department of History, the UCSB Divisions of Social Sciences and Humanities, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, the UCLA Department of Women’s Studies, and the UCLA Dean of Social Sciences. Please contact Laura Pollick with any questions. cmes@cmes.ucsb.edu, 805-893-4245. __________________________________________________________
Robert S. Wistrich Monday, February 23, 2009 http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/events/endowed/taubman.html __________________________________________________________ Salata Baladi (An Egyptian Salad) 6 PM Film Screening / MCC Theater When her young nephew hears a sermon in Cairo encouraging religious war, Nadia Kamel, long-time assistant to the legendary Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, takes it upon herself to acquaint him with the history of his maternal grandmother Maria (Naela). Incorporating footage of visits by Maria and her husband to relatives in Italy, Israel, and Palestine, this documentary tells the story of a remarkable woman who is part Jewish, part Christian, part Muslim, and all at once a feminist, a communist, an Italian, and an Arab. Nadia Kamel, 105 min, Arabic/ Subtitled, 2008, Egypt/ Israel/ Italy/ Palestine. __________________________________________________________ The Research Focus Group on Citizenship and Democracy and THE EMPIRE WITHIN: A SYMPOSIUM ON THE RACIALIZATION OF ARABS, MUSLIMS, AND SOUTH ASIANS IN THE UNITED STATES Thursday, February 26, 2009
The "racial profiling" of Arab and Muslim American communities after 9/11 has generated questions about a new racial politics and new alliances. This profiling is not exceptional, however. It can be situated in the longer history of U.S. empire and also linked to U.S.
The cultural legitimacy of United States imperialism rests at least in part on the comparative racialization of Arabs, Muslims, and the question of Palestine. The continued reliance on old-school comparative frameworks like Orientalism, "the clash of civilizations," and the supposed unity of "the West," reveals not only the weakness of its analysis but also the weakness of its political position. This talk addresses an archive of contemporary culture work linking the U.S. and the Middle East in radically other ways, revealing a contestatory comparative analytic adequate to our political Respondents: PAUL AMAR and KATHLEEN MOORE, both of the Law and Society __________________________________________________________ January 2009: ISLAMIC REFORMISM AS A PHILOSOPHY OF TIME Souleymane Bachir Diagne (French and Philosophy, Columbia)
This lecture will present Islamic philosophy of reform as developed in the nineteenth century by Muslim thinkers such as Jamal ad-Din Al-Afghani (d.1897), Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905) and others, focusing more particularly on Indian poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938). The lecture will show, in particular, how Islamic reformist philosophy is founded on a new philosophy of time which Iqbal considers to be the true cosmology of the Quran. Souleymane Bachir Diagne, is professor of French and Philosophy at Columbia University. His fields of research include history of logic, history of philosophy, Islamic philosophy, and African philosophy and literature. Sponsored by the Series in Contemporary Literature and co-sponsored by the IHC, the Comparative Literature Program and the Departments of French & Italian, Black Studies, Religious Studies, Philosophy, History, Global Studies and English. http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/events/event_files/past/_winter09/_jan/diagne.html __________________________________________________________ THE CRISIS IN GAZA IN REGIONAL & GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE A Panel Discussion with Four Experts Monday, January 26, 2009 Speakers:
Juan Campo
Salim Yaqub
Nancy Gallagher, Moderator
This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact: http://www.history.ucsb.edu, (805) 893-2991. __________________________________________________________ Peter Cole Tuesday, January 27, 2009 MacArthur Fellow Peter Cole’s prize-winning translations of the Hebrew Golden Age poets Shmuel HaNagid and Solomon Ibn Gabirol have helped to recreate for contemporary American readers the multifaceted world of medieval Spain, in which Jewish artistic and intellectual communities flourished under Islamic rule. The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492 extends that vision further, to cover the entire Muslim and Christian periods. Poet and translator Richard Howard has described Cole’s work as "the finest labor of poetic translation that I have seen in many years" and "an entire revelation: a body of lyric and didactic verse so intense, so intelligent, and so vivid that it appears to identify a whole dimension of historical consciousness previously unavailable to us."The Dream of the Poem is, Howard says, “a crowning achievement.” Aside from his award-winning poetry and translations from Hebrew and Arabic, Peter Cole and his wife edit Ibis Editions in Jerusalem, supporting in a collaborative environment the work of Israeli and Palestinian writers. Sponsored by the Series in Contemporary Literature, the Department of Global Studies, the Orfalea Center, the College of Creative Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of German, Slavic and Semitic Studies, the Comparative Literature Program, and the IHC. http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/events/event_files/past/_winter09/_jan/cole.html __________________________________________________________
TALK AND DEMONSTRATION Juan and Magda Campo Wednesday, January 28 Juan and Magda Campo discuss the intriguing beginnings and early history of coffee and coffee houses in the Middle East. From the highlands of Ethiopia and Yemen to Cairo and Istanbul, coffee rapidly became a popular beverage, but not without facing opposition from Muslim religious and political authorities. The talk will examine the controversies stirred by the bean as well as the factors behind its becoming the favorite brewed beverage in the world today. It will include a demonstration of how coffee was and still is made in the Middle East, accompanied by a sampling of Middle Eastern sweets. Sponsored by the IHC as part of its Food Matters series.
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December 2008:
Thursday, December 4, 2008 Orfalea Center Seminar Room This lecture is based on a book published in 2006 ("Global Liberalism, Local Populism", Syracuse University Press) that compares the impact of globalization on the peace processes in Israel and Northern Ireland. The lecture explains what happened to the dream of the "New Middle East", what role did economic development play in the process and whether economic development could be part of a renewed peace process. Guy Ben-Porat is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Public Policy and Administration in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and currently Richard and Rhoda Goldman Visiting Professor at the University of California, Davis. Born and raised in Israel, he holds a BA from Tel-Aviv University (Political Science and Psychology, 1994) and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (Political Science and International Relations, 2001). His first book, 'Global Liberalism, Local Populism; Peace and Conflict in Israel/Palestine and Northern Ireland' (Syracuse University Press, 2006) is the winner of the Ernst-Otto Czempiel Award from the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt (2008). He also co-authored 'Israel Since 1980' (Cambridge University Press, 2008), edited 'The Failure of the Middle East Peace Process?' (Palgrave, 2008), and a special Issue of Citizenship Studies (With Bryan Turner) on Israeli citizenship. Presented by The Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies. __________________________________________________________ November 2008:
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 Israeli writer David Grossman is the author of some of the most controversial books in his country’s history, including the award-winning The Yellow Wind, observations collected Website: http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/events/endowed/taubman.html (Sponsored by the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies at UCSB, a program of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, co-sponsored by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Department of Religious Studies, Congregation B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara Hillel. Assistance provided by the Anti-Defamation League.) __________________________________________________________ The Muslim Students Association talk about Islam and Eid Thursday, November 6, 2008 __________________________________________________________ Middle East Ensemble
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble (MEE) performs a wide variety of music reflecting the great diversity of cultures found in the Middle East. They first performed for an MCC audience back in 1989 and return nearly 20 years later to present a special Anniversary concert. They will be joined by live dancers in colorful costume who will perform an assortment of dance styles from the region. Tickets $5 for students / $15 general admission. __________________________________________________________
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 Olivier Roy is the Research Director at the French National Center Download Event Flyer (pdf) Please note that the event flyer has the old room listed. (Sponsored by the IHC's Identity RFP, co-sponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies, and the Departments of History and Political Science.) __________________________________________________________
Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 An eighteen-year-old Moroccan who loves Black Sabbath. In a talk based on his new book, Heavy Metal Islam, Professor Mark LeVine (History, UC Irvine) explores the influence of Western music on the Middle East through interviews with musicians and fans, introducing us to young Muslims struggling to reconcile their religion with a passion for music and a desire for change. Levine takes us on a surprising foray into a historically authoritarian region where music just might be the true democratizing force. (presented by History, co-sponsored by the Center for __________________________________________________________ Nasar Musa and the Middle East Ensemble
Scott Marcus directs an "An Evening of Middle Eastern Music & Dance"with North America's largest Middle Eastern Orchestra. Also featured is the Ensemble's Dance Troupe, directed by Alexandra King. $17/General admission, $9/Students - UCSB Associated Students Ticket Office __________________________________________________________ October 2008 Middle East Events at UCSB:
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008
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Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
__________________________________________________________ Helena Cobban Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 __________________________________________________________
"Entering the Final Stage of the Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 PALESTINE INSIDE OUT What others are saying about "Palestine Inside Out", Makdisi's most recent book: "A compelling account of the lives of ordinary Palestinians suffering under occupation" (Archbishop Desmond Tutu) "Makdisiprovides an exhaustive look at the daily experiences that shape Palestinian life under Israeli occupation" (Institute for Middle East Understanding) **Co-sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine (funding from Associated Students) and by the Center for Middle East Studies. Download event flyer in PDF format __________________________________________________________ Kathleen Moore (UCSB Law & Society)
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__________________________________________________________ Fall Quarter 2006 Events:
ALSO OF INTEREST Award-winning film by James Longley Iraq in Fragments
Opens November 11, 2006 _________________________________________________________ Spring Quarter 2006 Events:
"IRAN: The Next War?"
"Arab Muslims in Chicago: A Photo Essay"
________________________________________________________ Fall Quarter 2005 Events: Tues. Oct. 4 - 8:00 PM Thurs. Oct. 6 - 8:00 PM Mon. Oct. 17 - 8:00 PM Thurs. Oct. 27 - 2:00 PM ________________________________________________________ Past Events:
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Race, Lies & Stereotypes: 
Vali Nasr 
Afghan Star, cinema 
The Cultural and Religious Significance of Food in the Middle East 
The Politics of Marriage in Contemporary Iran 
TALK: The Paradox of Humanitarianism: 
Afghanistan & Pakistan -
Benjamin F. Soares 
Edina Lekovic
Reza Aslan 
A Presentation by Abdullahi An-Na'im
Viola Shafik
Rabbi Reuven Firestone
UCSB Middle East Ensemble
(805) 893-2064. 
"Islam and the Clash of Interpretations" 
Olivier Roy is Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and a lecturer for both the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (IEP). He is a specialist on Afghanistan and Central Asia and this year is a visiting Professor at UC Berkeley. 
Janet Afary will be joining the UCSB faculty next year as the new Mellichamp Endowed Chair in Global Religion and Modernity in the Department of Religious Studies, but this year is a visiting fellow at UCLA.
THE 2009 ISRAELI ELECTIONS
THE SOCIAL LIFE OF MUSLIM WOMEN'S RIGHTS 
CONFRONTING ANTISEMITISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY 
Friday, January 16, 2009
AL-ANDALUS THEN AND NOW:
Globalization, Peace and Discontent:
CONVERSATION: An Evening with David Grossman
Mark Levine (UC Irvine) 
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 
Mona Kanwal Sheikh
Center for Middle East Studies,
Dr. Saree Makdisi 
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 
