The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) will be holding its annual meeting in Washington DC beginning this Saturday, 18-21 November 2017. Over a span of four days, scholars and researchers from across North America, the Middle East, and beyond will present their work via an impressive and diverse array of thematic panels (see complete program here).

In order to highlight some of the panels, below is a list of MESA 2017 Annual Meeting panels in which one or more members of the Arab Studies Institute (including JadaliyyaArab Studies Journal, Status Audio Journal, Forum on Arab and Muslim Affairs, and Knowledge Production Project)  is involved in as an organizer, presenters, discussant, and/or chair. However, to appreciate the full spectrum of topics, themes, geographic areas, and disciplines represented, we encourage you to browse the entire program. All information, including registration information, can be found by clicking here.

 

Sunday 19 November 2017


8am: Sectarianism: States, Parties, and Representations


“Christians are Legitimate Targets”: Understanding Sectarian Violence in Egypt, 1970-2014
 
by Ha, Hyun Jeong

From Polytheists to Partners in the Nation Islamist Attitudes towards Coptic Egyptians in Post-Revolutionary Egypt 
by Hager, Anna

Complexities of the Iran-Iraq war and its long-term implications 
by Hamrah, Satgin

Assyrians in Iraq: Competing Visions of Identity 
by Harned, Patrick

Sectarianism and Political Order in Iraq and Lebanon 
by Saouli, Adham

The Construction of “Sectarian Politics” in Syria 
by Zeno, Basileus

 

10:30am: Tourism, Heritage, and the Politics of Place in the Middle East


Constructing the "Arab Tourist": Leisure and Mobility through/in/of Lebanon, 1920-1970s
 
by Sbaiti, Nadya J.

Building and Breaking Ties: Political Tourism in Israel/Palestine 
by Schneider, Emily

Islamic tourism in Jordan: heritage policies, paths and itineraries since the 1980’s 
by Neveu, Norig

Heritage tourism versus Leisure Tourism in Post- 2011 Egypt: Notes about crisis management, resilience and strategic choices 
by Gamblin, Sandrine

The Re-formed City: Urban Rehabilitation, Conservation, and Reclamation in Post-Revolution Cairo 
by Panetta, Claire

 

10:30am Protest, Repression, and Cooptation Before and After the Arab Uprisings


Neo-authoritarian feminism: Theorizing The Syrian Government’s co-optation of feminist Discourse
 
by Alhayek, Katty

War Correspondents: Journalist Fatalities in Middle Eastern Conflicts 
by Burch, Michael

Protests and Police Responses in Egypt between 2004 and 2011, A Comprehensive Dataset 
by Lachapelle, Jean 

Repression and Learning Across Borders: Cross-Policing between the Arab Monarchies 
by Yom, Sean

 

1pm: Thinking Palestine Intersectionally

A special session featuring Judith Butler, Angela Davis, Noura Erakat, Samer Esmeir, and Sherene Seikaly

 

Monday 20 November 2017


8am: Histories of Infrastructure and Techno-politics


The Hazine-i Hassa Nezareti (Privy Purse Ministry) and the Expansion of Irrigation in Hamidian Iraq, 1877-1901
by Bolanos, Isacar

“The Poetics of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline: Competing Visibilities of an Infrastructural Assemblage, 1950-1975” 
by Cuyler, Zachary

Cesspools, Mosquitos and Fever: An Environmental History of Malaria Prevention in Ismailia and Port Sa‘id, 1869-1910 
by Gamal-Eldin, Mohamed

Urban Modernity and Steamboats in Ottoman Istanbul 
by Lorenz, Beyza

Development Work: Labor at the Aswan High Dam, 1960-1971
by Young, Gabriel

 

Tuesday 21 November 2017


8am: Authority in Concrete: State, Space, and Infrastructures in Turkey


Infrastructure Rulez: On Turkey’s the Infrastructures-led The Regime of Urgency

by Erensu, Sinan 

Wells of Failure: Oil Exploration, Conspiracy Theory and Power in Turkey 
by Oguz, Zeynep

Troubled Waters of Hegemony: Shifting Nexus of Hydro-Power in Turkey
by Akbulut, Bengi

Contested Infrastructures: Batman Refinery, Oil Pipelines, and Kurdish Economies of Oil Theft in Batman, Turkey
by Bozcali, Firat

Electrifying the Nation-State: Generating Consent in Republican Turkey 
by Tekay, Cihan