Welcoming Remarks

Identity in the Pre-Modern Middle East (Until the 18th Century)

Iranian, Arab, Syrian, Chaldean – these identities that have come to mean so much in today’s Middle East played a much different role in the region’s pre-modern history. This talk will trace the origins of modern identity in the region and how they evolved over time alongside the shifting political landscape.

The Fall of Empires and the Formation of the Modern Middle East

From caliphates to empires, from Abbasids to Ottomans, the character of the Middle East and those who ruled it changed dramatically throughout the region’s history. The French, the British, the Russians, and the Americans all played defining roles in the formation of the modern Middle East. The great powers have been accused of “carving up” of the region, but they have also introduced new ideas and have had a tremendous cultural impact on the Middle East. This talk will track the trajectory of these changes and explore how the fall of the imperial system and intervention by the great powers led to the formation of modern Middle Eastern political identities.

The Arrival of Ethnic Nationalism

With the fall of the Ottoman imperial order, the Middle East at the beginning of the twentieth century saw the arrival of ethno-nationalism as an organizing principle of political life. This talk will examine the reasons for the initial success of ethno-nationalism, its successes and failures, and its legacy in the contemporary Middle East where Islamist and liberal democratic ideas have emerged to erode, undermine, and challenge it in some parts of the Middle East and to nurture and strengthen it in other parts.

Religion and Secularism

Religion was a pillar of pre-modern political identity in the Middle East. In the modern period, European colonial powers and indigenous reformers introduced new ideas about the relationship between religion and politics. Such debates permeated 20th century ideological conflicts in the region, which are far from resolved today. This talk will explore the evolution of this complex relationship between religion and politics in the region until the contemporary period.

Religious Minorities

The multi-confessional nature of the Middle East has been at the heart of some of its most turbulent episodes. Who are the various denizens of the Middle East; how are they represented – and of equal importance, treated – in the countries in which they live; and is there a place for them in the future of the Middle East? This talk will examine the place of religious minorities in the modern Middle East – alongside some historical comparison of their earlier standing – and the challenges faced by these various communities.

Women and Politics in the Middle East

From the varied forays of women in politics to the ebb and flow of the use of the hijab, women’s roles in the Middle East have greatly differed from country to country and from decade to decade. This talk will explore the changing circumstances of women in the modern Middle East through the lenses of ethnicity, religion, and culture.

Post-colonial States and the Struggle for Identity since World War Two

Following World War Two, European power in the Middle East crumbled and a number of post-colonial states emerged. These states often justified their existence in terms of ideologies which were tied to specific identities. This talk will discuss the struggles that states such as Nasser’s Egypt, Saddam’s Iraq, and revolutionary Iran faced as they attempted to impose identities on heterogeneous societies.

Thinking Out Loud About the Future of Identity in the Middle East

From radicalism to reform, from post-colonial states to newly-minted caliphates – the Middle East’s contentious identity politics have both raised new challenges and revealed new opportunities. Focusing on the post-Arab uprising period, this talk will examine the nexus of identity and politics in today’s Middle East, and what we might expect from the region in the next couple decades.