The William & Mary Middle Eastern Students Association is proud to present our inaugural conference which seeks to build a deeper and broader understanding of the Middle East. This year will focus on the various cultures that make up the region with each speaker focusing on a different ethnic group/culture. When the region comes to mind, the only thing that usually comes up is Arabic language and Culture. We want to show that the Middle East is much more than that and just how diverse it really is. The path towards peace can only be paved through understanding.
Schedule:
10:00am- Tidewater A
Opening Statement
10:30am
Tidewater A
Turkish Identity: Crisis on the Way of Democratization
Aydoğan Vatandaş, Journalist & Author
Tidewater B
Iranian Youth: An Altered Generation
Nasim Sarabandi, Human Rights Activist & Former Director of the Women’s Comission of Daftar-e Tahkime Vahdat
11:45am Tidewater A
The Quest for Kurdish Self-Determination: Turkey’s Ceasefire with the PKK and Its Impact Across Four Nation-States
Ragan Updegraff, Special Assistant for Policy and Strategy in the Office of the President at the National Endowment for Democracy
Tidewater B
Berbers and Others in North Africa
Jonathan Glasser, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the College of William & Mary
12:50pm Chesapeake Room
Lunch and Performance by the William & Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble
2:00pm
Tidewater A
Armenians in the Middle East: An Overview
Aram Arkun, Editor and specialist in modern Armenian history
Tidewater B
Jewish Identity within the Middle East
Rabbi Ben Romer, served as a military chaplain throughout the Middle East
3:15pm Tidewater A&B
Discussion Panel; What is the Middle East: Is this a term that should be used and does it help us understand the region?
Schedule:
10:00am- Tidewater A
Opening Statement
10:30am
Tidewater A
Turkish Identity: Crisis on the Way of Democratization
Aydoğan Vatandaş, Journalist & Author
Tidewater B
Iranian Youth: An Altered Generation
Nasim Sarabandi, Human Rights Activist & Former Director of the Women’s Comission of Daftar-e Tahkime Vahdat
11:45am Tidewater A
The Quest for Kurdish Self-Determination: Turkey’s Ceasefire with the PKK and Its Impact Across Four Nation-States
Ragan Updegraff, Special Assistant for Policy and Strategy in the Office of the President at the National Endowment for Democracy
Tidewater B
Berbers and Others in North Africa
Jonathan Glasser, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the College of William & Mary
12:50pm Chesapeake Room
Lunch and Performance by the William & Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble
2:00pm
Tidewater A
Armenians in the Middle East: An Overview
Aram Arkun, Editor and specialist in modern Armenian history
Tidewater B
Jewish Identity within the Middle East
Rabbi Ben Romer, served as a military chaplain throughout the Middle East
3:15pm Tidewater A&B
Discussion Panel; What is the Middle East: Is this a term that should be used and does it help us understand the region?