[The following conference announcement was sent to us by its organizer, Professor Nouri Gana.]
The Tunisian revolution had taken the world by surprise. Never before in the history of the modern Arab world had a grassroots uprising toppled an entrenched dictator of Ben Ali’s caliber and longevity without recourse to any established ideology or political party nor to foreign intervention, which has until now been bandied about as the only midwife to real democracy in the Arab world. The aim of this conference is not only to map and remap the Tunisian revolution, but also to reflect on its worldwide resonances and implications and foster interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the twenty-first century revolution. A heterogeneous number of scholars--including historians, anthropologists, sociologists, literary and cultural critics--will shed light on the long-term and short-term precipitators of the Tunisian revolution, its global effects, challenges and prospects for success both in the near and far future.
Friday, May 20, 2011
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Faculty Center Downstairs Lounge
UCLA
SCHEDULE
9:00-10:00 AM − Breakfast
10:00-10:15 AM − Opening Remarks: Nouri Gana, UCLA
10:15 AM -12:30 PM − Panel One: Moderator: Nouri Gana, UCLA
- Sabra Webber (Ohio State University): Surprise: Non Sequitur: Revolution
- Tarek Kahlaoui (Rutgers): The State University of New Jersey: Few Hallmarks of an Historical Event
- Lotfi Ben Rejeb (University of Ottawa): The Tunisian Revolution and Implications for U.S.–Tunisian Relations
12:30-2:00 PM − Lunch
2:00-3:45 PM − Panel Two: Moderator: Susan Slyomovics, UCLA
- Lamia Ben Youssef Zayzafoon (University of Alabama Birmingham): Of Mimicry and Muslim WoMen: National Identity as Performance in Post-Revolutionary Tunisia
- Douja Mamelouk (Georgetown University): From Dictatorship to Revolution: Women, the Veil and Tunisian Identity
3:45-4:15 PM − Coffee break
4:15-6:00 PM − Panel Three: Moderator: Firat Oruc, UCLA
- Stephen King (Georgetown University): Regime Transition in Tunisia
- Kenneth Surin (Duke University): The Arab World’s Great Unrest of 2011: An Attempt at a Geopolitical Perspective
6:00-7:00 PM − Reception
To RSVP, click here.