Graduate Conference | 26 April 2018
Who’s Who: Contested Identities and Conflicting Alliances in the Shadow of the Arab Uprisings
Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Cambridge
Sponsored by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
‘Who’s Who: Contested Identities and Conflicting Alliances in the Shadow of the Arab Uprisings’ is an interdisciplinary graduate conference, sponsored by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and held at the University of Cambridge on 26 April 2018.
The conference aims to scrutinize mainstream narratives and to critically approach the changes and continuities shaping the Arab World since the late 2010 uprisings. It provides PhD students and early-career scholars concerned with the contemporary Arab region with an opportunity to disseminate their research and to connect with fellow researchers.
As the region features a wide array of major and unfolding phenomena—various crises, as in Yemen, Libya, and Syria, and many unforeseen changes, as in Saudi Arabia’s domestic politics—we encourage participants to critically reflect and empirically analyse the roots, manifestations, and effects of these events. Of particular interest is the study of how these events connect and overlap within larger networks of alliances and power struggles that are redefining the balance of power across the Arab region since the uprisings.
The conference seeks to address, but is not limited to, the following topics related to the contentious legacy of the Arab uprisings:
- Conflicting alliances and competition for regional leadership
- Small states and low-profile actors: their role in shaping and directing regional developments
- Soft power and status-seeking politics
- Revival of state nationalism
- Cultural changes and reconstruction of national identities and citizenship
- Religion and politics: their relationship and its impact on such issues as women’s rights and education programmes, among others
Structure of the Conference
Every speaker will have 15 minutes to present their paper. They will then receive feedback from a senior scholar followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
The conference also features an interactive workshop, delivered by leading scholars and publishing experts, that explores the different publishing venues available for junior scholars to disseminate their work to academic and non-academic audiences alike.
Participation
Participation in the conference is free. Those wishing to participate need to submit an abstract (250 words) by 26 February 2018 by filling an online form. Papers will be selected on the basis of quality, originality, engagement with the conference’s theme, and fit with other papers being presented at the conference. Those offering papers will be notified by 5 March at the latest whether their submission has been accepted. A waiting list may be established, depending on the level of interest. Full papers are due by 12 April 2018.
Speakers are eligible for a small contribution towards travel costs.
Conference Conveners: Engy Moussa, Babak Mohammadzadeh, and Karim El Taki
For General Enquiries: whoswhoconf@gmail.com
https://networks.h-net.org/call-papers-graduate-conference-university-c…