Re-Mapping the Middle East

The Middle East Re-mapped: 10-4pm, 5th June 2017, Anthropology seminar room, Department of Anthropology, UCL.

Reflecting a wider interest in ‘re-mapping area studies’ at UCL, the aim of this workshop is to explore how the Middle East might be rethought and re-drawn today. We invite short contributions from researchers from across the social sciences, arts and humanities that address the question of how to map the Middle East, whether conceptually, creatively, or through empirical research. The UCL workshop – which is co-convened by Prof. Andrew Barry, Dr. Ruth Mandel and Refugee Hosts’ PI, Dr Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh -, will be organised around three broad themes: Creatively approaching the Middle East; Beyond Borders; and Outsiders Within and Insiders Without. See below for the full programme, or click here for more information; All are welcome, but please register to attend here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-middle-east-re-mapped-tickets-34905986746.

Refugee Hosts PI Dr Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, along with our project partner, Estella Carpi, of Save the Children’s Humanitarian Affairs Team, will be speaking at the upcoming Middle East Re-mapped workshop at UCL on the topic of “Outsiders Within and Insiders Without”. The panel promises to be a great opportunity to explore a number of important questions about belonging and hospitality, humanitarianism and communities, topics that are of central interest to the Refugee Hosts project. For more on these themes, read Elena and Estella’s work on the Refugee Hosts blog, especially those pieces which deal with refugee-refugee relationality and hospitality as unwilling humanitarianism.

Programme

10:00-10:30: Coffee

10:30-11:15: Keynote Speech – Yael Navaro (Anthropology, Cambridge): Encrypted Arabic: Language as a Materiality at the Contested Turkish/Syrian Frontier

11:15-11:45: Discussion

11:45-12:00: Coffee

12:00-13:30: Outsiders Within and Insiders Without

•  Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh (Geography): ‘Reflections on refugee-refugee relationality in the Middle East’
• Georgios Kritikos (IAS and Harokopio University, Athens): ‘Outsiders Within ‘Sanity’ and Insiders Without ‘Sanity’’
• Ulrike Flader (Anthropology, Bremen) Union of Communities – ‘Concept of Hope and Target of Destruction’
• Estella Carpi (DPU-Bartlett): ‘Rethinking social memberships in the Middle East’
• Tyler Fisher (SELCS): Rebaptism and Reintegration of Rescued Yezidis
• Sarah Hawkes (Institute of Global Health) tbc

13:30-14:15: Lunch

14:15-15:45: Creatively approaching the Middle East

•  Mai Abu-Moghli (IoE): ‘Re-thinking research i/on the Middle East’
•  Beverly Butler (Archaeology): ‘Heritage Rites – Magical Thinking & Efficacious Objects: Creativity and ‘Acting Back’ in Refugee Camp life’
• Katayoun Shafiee (IAS and Warwick) ‘Re-mapping the Middle East Technopolitically: BP’s Infrastructural Work in southwest Iran’
• Andrew Barry (Geography): ‘The Political Geology of Anatolia’

15:45-17:00 Moving Forwards

For further information please contact: Andrew Barry, a.barry@ucl.ac.uk Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, e.fiddian-qasmiyeh@ucl.ac.uk or Ruth Mandel, r.mandel@ucl.ac.uk

Featured Image: Middle East Cultural/Historical Map (WikiCommons)