Middle East Seminar

This seminar is open to the public.

The cosponsored WCFIA/CMES Middle East Seminar, as it has developed since its inception in 1975, has focused on the political, economic, and social conditions in the Middle East. Because of the region's rich history and its cultural and social impact throughout the world, events in the Middle East have enormous ripple effects globally. Through presentations by scholars and practitioners, the seminar seeks to analyze the impact of such factors as poverty, gender, refugees, peacemaking, institution building, economic development, and international organizations on the people, states, and regional dynamics of the Middle East (and beyond) and their contribution to political and social change.

This academic year, the Middle East seminar addresses the issues of inequality, discrimination, and good governance that challenge the region. We also focus on the changing political dynamics in the region. We further examine diplomatic initiatives as the region continues to be plagued by war and the resulting misery of refugees and displaced persons. We also look at civil society in the Middle East including healthcare, education, the role of women, and the youth bulge.

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See also: Open Seminars

Chairs

Image of Sara RoySara Roy

Associate, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University.
Research Interests: Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Palestinian economy; Gaza and the Middle East; political economy of US foreign assistance to the West Bank and Gaza; and Palestinian Islamism.

Center for Middle Eastern Studies
38 Kirkland Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
sroy@fas.harvard.edu
p: (617) 496-9591