Selected seminars, conferences, lectures, film screenings, exhibitions, and workshops in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (2015 -). Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Seminar Series Image Each semester, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) welcomes a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present an evening seminar on their research.The topics span fields as diverse as film and media, literature, religion, society and politics in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.Please note that speaker titles and universities, as listed, date from the time of the event and may have changed.Browse the full listings for the 2022 to 2023 academic yearBrowse the full listings for the 2021 to 2022 academic yearEarlier events in the seriesPlease note that speaker titles and universities, as listed, date from the time of the event and may have changed. DateTitleSpeaker(s)10 May 2021Dreams/Cinema/PalestineDr Greg Burris (University of Beirut)10 February 2020The role of family in the lives of Istanbul janissaries in the 18th century Gemma Masson (ASTENE)3 February 2020Interactions between Byzantines and ArabMuslims in 9th-10th century SicilyAnnliese Nef (Université Paris I)27 January 2020Diagrams in Byzantine Medical ManuscriptsPetros Bouras-Vallianatos (University of Edinburgh)20 January 2020Islamisation in Mongol AnatoliaAndrew Peacock (University of St Andrews)13 January 2020Greek translations into Middle Persian and Byzantine Greek translations into Arabic and PersianJaakko Hämeen-Anttila (University of Edinburgh)25 November 2019Byzantine Sardinia and the Arab ConquestsAlex Metcalfe (University of Lancaster)18 November 2019'Marginalised opinions, uncensored voices, and unabashed attitudes': LGBT Pop-Activism in JordanDr Ebtihal Mahadeen (University of Edinburgh)11 November 2019The Art of Social Realism in Rakhshan Banietemad’s Films Maryam Ghorbankarimi (University of Lancaster)4 November 2019Negotiating Constitutionalism and Conflict in the Qajar Era: A Close Reading of the “bast” at the British LegationMira Xenia Schwerda (Harvard University)28 October 2019Criteria for dating early Islamic exegetical TraditionsDr Andreas Görke (University of Edinburgh)21 October 2019A Crisis of Marriage, A Crisis of Legitimacy: Kinship, Islam, and Institution-Building in JordanDr Geoffrey Hughes (University of Exeter)14 October 2019Zarathustra through Muslim EyesProfessor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (University of Edinburgh)7 October 2019Iran vs US: War or Peace? Or if not, what?Jim Muir (independent scholar)30 September 2019From mistrust to understanding? Making constitution and reaching agreement in Tunisia after the Revolution for DignityTereza Jermanova (Charles University)23 September 2019'Visualizing a Medieval ‘Scientist’: ʿAbbās b. Firnās in the Contemporary ImaginationDr Glaire Anderson (University of Edinburgh)16 September 2019Researching Islamic pop musicDr Jonas Otterbeck (Aga Khan University's Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London)1 April 2019Gulf History: from the Annals of the British Library to the Digital UniverseUla Zeir (The British Library)25 March 2019The Future of Islamic Studies in the UKProfessor Hugh Goddard (University of Edinburgh)18 March 2019Between Affect and Scepticism: Nonverbal Lyricism and the Essay FilmProfessor Laura Rascaroli (University College Cork)11 March 2019Search and Research: Library Resources on Islamic and Middle Eastern StudiesDr Shenxiao Tong (University of Edinburgh)4 March 2019Differentiation in the Arabic as a Foreign Language ClassroomDr Giorgia Ferrari (University of Exeter)25 February 2019The Acquisition of Knowledge is Equivalent to the Fear of God: Educational Thought in Classical IslamProfessor Sebastian Günther (University of Göttingen)18 February 2019From Ba'athization to Sectarianization: The Deconstruction and Reconstruction of the Iraqi Army (2003-2005) – a Case StudyArchaeological approaches to Islamic Crete (820s-961): Initial remarks on administration and settlement patternsOmaima Al-Jubouri (University of Edinburgh); Matteo Randazzo (University of Edinburgh)11 February 2019Culinary Culture of the Middle EastJennifer Scarce (University of Dundee)4 February 2019Islamic Studies – Scientific or Confessional? A Contested University SubjectProfessor Jørgen Nielsen (University of Birmingham)28 January 2019Arabic Diglossia as Language Ideology: Implications for Teaching'Jona Fras (University of Edinburgh)21 January 2019Broadening Horizons: Teaching Socio-Cultural Anthropology of the Middle EastDr Janet Starkey (Durham University)14 January 2019Arabic at Edinburgh before IMESDr Anthony Gorman (University of Edinburgh)26 November 2018Engendering and Gendering Memory in Palestinian FolktalesDr Farah Aboubakr (University of Edinburgh)19 November 2018Building Prophetic Communities: A New Generation of Female Islamic Scholars in BritainDr Giulia Liberatore (University of Edinburgh)12 November 2018Religious Authority in London's Shi' Triangle: The Dynamics of a Transnational CompetitionDr Elvire Corboz (University of Edinburgh)5 November 2018Literary Analysis of the Iranian Ta'ziyeh Repertoire: Foregrounding the Mother in the Martyrdom of QasemLucy Deacon (University of Edinburgh); Marjan Asi (University of Edinburgh)29 October 2018Haunting and the Post-War Generation in Lebanese Cinema + Waves '98 by Ely DagherTransforming the Representation of Masculinities in the Cinema of Turkey: Revisiting the 1980 Military CoupEly Dagher (University of Edinburgh); Erden Goktepe (University of Edinburgh)22 October 2018Legal and Linguistic Continuity in Coptic Documents from Post-Conquest EgyptSamuel Cook (Macquarie University)15 October 2018Book launch: 'The Fatimid Caliphate: Diversity of Traditions'Dr Farhad Daftary (The Institute of Ismaili Studies); Dr Shainool Jiwa (The Institute of Ismaili Studies)8 October 2018Female Mourning in Islam: Historical Precedents and Contemporary Diasporic PerspectivesDr Alistair Hunter (University of Edinburgh/University of Glasgow)1 October 2018The Democratic Grotesque: Masquerade and Dissensus in Post-Revolutionary TunisiaDr Charis Boutieri (King's College London)24 September 2018The Finances of the Caliphate: Abbasid Fiscal Practice in Islamic Late AntiquityDr Marie Legendre (University of Edinburgh)17 September 2018Turkish Modernity from a Literary Perspective: Ahmet Hamdi TanpinarDr Hilal Kaya (University of Edinburgh)19 March 2018Militarist Masculinity, Militarist Femininity: Gendering Jordan’s War on the Islamic StateDr Ebtihal Mahadeen (University of Edinburgh)12 March 2018Reporting Lebanon: Orientalism as News PracticeDr Zahera Harb (City, University of London)5 March 2018The Project of New Iraq and Dismantling the Iraqi Military Institution - 2003-2006The Use of Ideology in the Thought of Yusuf al-QaradawiOmaima Al Jubouri (University of Edinburgh); Asif Khanan (University of Edinburgh)19 February 2018Refugees, Embodied Memories, and Intimate Politics: Palestinian TalesDr Ruba Salih (SOAS University of London)12 February 2018The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?: Unveiling American Muslim Women in Rolla Selbak’s Three VeilsDr Alberto Carbajal (Roehampton University)5 February 2018Problematising Migrant Domestic Work in the Middle East: A Philosopher's PerspectiveDr Arianne Shahvisi (University of Sussex)29 January 2018Playing Chess Inside the Lion’s Mouth: LGBT Activism in LebanonDr John Nagle (University of Aberdeen)22 January 2018Toward 'The Good Life': Feminist Reflections on Normalcy and Hope in Israeli Settler ColonialismDr Katie Natanel (University of Exeter)15 January 2018Tcharmil: The Birth Of a Moroccan Gangsta Culture. Masculinity, Femininity and Gender Relations Within the Working-ClassesDr Meriam Cheikh (University of Edinburgh)27 November 2017Ruling Families and Business in the Gulf Monarchies: The Re-Definition of the Oligarchic PactDr Marc Valeri (University of Exeter)20 November 2017Friends, Colleagues and Grand Vezirs: The Ottoman Art of Letter-writing (c. 1600)Dr Christine Woodhead (Durham University)17 November 2017Syria: What Went Wrong?Professor Raymond Hinnebusch (University of St Andrews)13 November 2017The Object-Voice: The Acousmatic Voice in the New Iranian CinemaThe Tafsir of Sufyan al-Thawri (d. 778)Farshid Kazemi (University of Edinburgh); Aurangzeb Haneef (University of Edinburgh)6 November 2017Egypt and the 2013 rupture and beyond: reflections on unruly politicsProfessor Mariz Tadros (University of Sussex)30 October 2017Marriage and the Origins of MeccaDr Majied Robinson (University of Edinburgh)23 October 2017Mary the mother of Jesus in IslamProfessor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)16 October 2017New Directions in Iranian CinemaDr Nacim Pak-Shiraz (University of Edinburgh)9 October 2017Picturing the Later Mughals - Shah Alam II and Bazgasht Imagery in British DelhiDr Yuthika Sharma (University of Edinburgh)2 October 2017Behind Bars - Reflections on a History of the Middle Eastern PrisonDr Anthony Gorman (University of Edinburgh)25 September 2017The Evolution of Islamic Chivalry (futuwwa) from the ʿAbbasids to the Ottomans'Dr Ines Aščerić-Todd (University of Edinburgh)18 September 2017Types of Connotation, and their Implications for Arabic/English translationProfessor James Dickins (University of Leeds)3 April 2017Early Iranian and Arab Shi`i Discussions of Leadership Between Late Antiquity and Early IslamProfessor Andrew Newman (University of Edinburgh)27 March 2017An 8th-century Turkic rebel against Islamic proselytising: Gülnar HatunProfessor Ayşe Çalık Ross (University of Kocaeli)20 March 2017Motifs in the legends of the pre-Islamic kings and tribesProfessor Julia Bray (University of Oxford)13 March 2017Holy cities and regime change in the 8th-century Islamic worldDr Harry Munt (University of York)6 March 2017Captivity, Concubinage, and ConsentProfessor Kecia Ali (University of Boston)27 February 2017Adi ibn Zayd al-‘Ibadi and the origin of the Arabic wine songDr Kirill Dmitriev (University of St Andrews)20 February 2017Society and housing in Late Antique and early Islamic PalmyraDr Emanuele Intagliata (University of Edinburgh)13 February 2017Did Zechariah ‘signal’ to his people? The case of the term waḥy in Q 19:11Fatimid relations with the Yemeni Sulayhids: examining the Egyptian perspectiveSimon Loynes (University of Edinburgh); Matthew Barber (University of Edinburgh)6 February 2017Mosaics from the late Byzantine to early Islamic periodDr Richard McClary (University of Edinburgh)30 January 2017The Great Mosque of Damascus in Umayyad TimesDr Alain George (University of Edinburgh)23 January 2017From dietary antinomianism to dietary prohibitionsDr Nicolai Sinai (University of Oxford)16 January 2017Alexander the Great in Early Persian and Arabic HistoriographyProfessor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (University of Edinburgh)28 November 2016Arabic Cross-dialectal Conversations with Implications for the Teaching of Arabic as a Second LanguageDr Rasha Soliman (University of Leeds)21 November 2016Ethnographying sex work, analysing intimate livesDr Mériam Cheikh (University of Edinburgh)14 November 2016Solomon on Screen: The Qur’an and CinemaDr Nacim Pak-Shiraz (University of Edinburgh)7 November 2016"That Hideous Schizophrenia": A Genealogy of Islamic Polemics against Christianity and SecularismDr Joshua Ralston (University of Edinburgh)31 October 2016Bringing the State Back in? Private Islamic institutions and official religious bureaucracy in Sisi's EgyptIraq's Reform Protest Movement: Explaining secular-Sadrist cooperationNeil Russell (University of Edinburgh); Ben Robin (University of Edinburgh)24 October 2016International Relations in the Middle East: Social Movements and Regional OrderDr Ewan Stein (University of Edinburgh)17 October 2016Arab Varieties of CapitalismDr Steffen Hertog (London School of Economic)10 October 2016Untold Stories: Arab Media Provision for ChildrenProfessor Naomi Sakr (University of Westminster)3 October 2016Is Torture Allowed in the Shariah or Not?Dr Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University)26 September 2016Liberty and Coloniality in the early modern Arabic comparative criticism of Rūḥī al-KhālidīHaifa Saud Alfaisal (King Saud University)19 September 2016Body and Spirit in Early Islamic ThoughtDr Ayman Shihadeh (SOAS University of London)28 March 2016Islamic NGOs and Turkey’s ‘new’ diplomacy - Expansion and engagement in Turkey’s regional relationsSufyan al-Thawri and the development of early Islamic intellectual traditionHarriet Fildes (University of Edinburgh); Aurangzeb Haneef (University of Edinburgh)21 March 2016Salamiyya: a city of the Ismailis in the nineteenth and early twentieth century Ottoman Syria (1839-1918)he making and imagining of space among veiled women in contemporary turkey: the case of segregated women beachesUla Zeir (University of Edinburgh); Zeynep Merve Uygun (University of Edinburgh)14 March 2016Yemen at war: a political and strategic assessmentLaurent Bonnefoy (CNRS-CERI Paris)7 March 2016Revolt, rebellion and civil war in the Umayyad periodDr Andrew Marsham (University of Edinburgh)29 February 2016Libya from revolution to chaos, from chaos to dialogueVirginie Collombier (European University Institute)22 February 2016Syria: destructions, displacements, and territorial changesLeila Vignal (Université Rennes 2)8 February 2016Refugees, war, and state-making in the Middle EastDr Benjamin White (University of Glasgow)1 February 2016Investigating civil war in Syria from YouTubeCécile Boëx (The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Paris)25 January 2016The different stages of the Kurdish liberation struggle in IraqDr Yaniv Voller (University of Edinburgh)18 January 2016Jihad in Syria as self-accomplishment: Diaries of a female member of the Islamic StateDr Thomas Pierret (University of Edinburgh)11 January 2016From revolution to expatriation: the decision-making of relocation and resettlement among the Syrian business diasporaThe PFLP and the Palestinian civil wars: History of a declineChing-An Chang (University of Edinburgh); Saverio Leopardi (University of Edinburgh)7 December 2015Neo-patriarchy and sexuality in the stories of Zakariyya TamirThe Changing Representation of Masculinity in Syrian Female Authored NovelsAlessandro Columbu (University of Edinburgh); Lovisa Berg (University of Edinburgh)30 November 2015Sectarianism in International Relations: The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry since 1979.Dr Toby Matthiesen (St. Antony's College, University of Oxford)24 November 2015The Archaeology of Everyday Life in Early IslamFanny Bessard (University of St Andrews)23 November 2015Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong? Al-Tabari’s Presentation of al-Walid b. ‘Uqba as criticism of Hanbalites'Ali Ahmed Bakathir's Tragedy of Oedipus: On Disowning the Muslim Brotherhood under NasserSu I-Wen (University of Edinburgh); Raphael Cormack (University of Edinburgh)16 November 2015Afghanistan’s Shia minorities: Politics and sectarian tensions during the second Afghan war (1878-1881)Dr Francesca Fuoli (SOAS University of London)9 November 2015Polite Conversation and its Consequences in the Ottoman EmpireDr Helen Pfeifer (University of Cambridge)2 November 2015Transnational Shīʿism and the Endangered Promise of Pakistan: Rethinking Sunnī-Shī`ī Sectarianism in South AsiaDr Simon W Fuchs (Princeton University)26 October 2015The Origins of the Conflict between Sunni and Shi‘i IslamProfessor Wilferd Madelung (University of Oxford)19 October 2015The ‘Hadith Literature’: What is it? And where is it?Dr Stephen Burge (Institute of Ismaili Studies)12 October 2015One of a Kind: The Cinematic Style of the poetry of Ahmed MatarDr Ahmed Khaleel (University of York)5 October 2015Documenting endangered languages: The case of Modern South Arabian with focus on Mehri and Shahri (Jibbali)Professor Janet Watson (University of Leeds)28 September 2015Nathan al-Hakim: Elias Haddad and ‘German Enlightenment values’ in Mandate PalestineFacebook Counts and Mourning the Martyr: Remediation and Media Ideologies on Jordanian RadioSarah Irving (University of Edinburgh); Jona Fras (University of Edinburgh)21 September 2015Farewell to the vanguard: Syria's Ahrar al-Sham Islamic Movement and wartime de-radicalisationDr Thomas Pierret (University of Edinburgh)Meet, Greet and Eat Image IMES regularly hosts free language exchange and socialising events.Our Meet, Greet and Eat events give students, native speakers of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, and anyone interested in the Arab world and the Middle East a chance to get to know each other and practice their language skills in a relaxed setting.Browse the full listing for the 2022 to 2023 academic yearEarlier events in the seriesDateVenue27 March 2020David Hume Tower28 February 2020David Hume Tower17 January 2020David Hume Tower15 November 201919 George Square6 October 2017 4 November 2016 4 March 2016 - part of the Edinburgh Arab Festival 2016Informatics Forum8 January 2016 - part of the Edinburgh Arab Festival 2016Informatics Forum10 February 2015 - part of the Edinburgh Arab Festival 2015 Lectures, talks, discussions and readingsW.M. Watt LectureArabic has been taught at the University of Edinburgh for over 260 years, and today our department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies is globally recognised as a leading centre in the field.From his appointment as Lecturer in Arabic in 1947, until his retirement as Professor in 1979, William Montgomery Watt made an outstanding contribution both to Islamic scholarship and to the development of IMES.The inaugural Watt Lecture was launched in November 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of Watt's Inaugural Lecture as the first Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Scotland.SpeakerDateVenueThemeProfessor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (École Pratique des Hautes Études/PSL - Sorbonne)27 May 202450 George SquareShi'i Islam: Doctrinal Foundations and Historical DevelopmentsProfessor Paul Starkey (Durham University)30 October 2019David Hume TowerIn Search of Identity: Faris al-Shidyaq and the 19th-Century Arabic RevivalDr Linda Komaroff (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)28 November 201850 George SquareDining with the Sultan: Reflections on the Fine Art of Feasting at the Islamic CourtsProfessor Nur Masalha (SOAS University of London)2 November 2017Playfair LibraryPowerful Symbols and the British-Zionist Alliance: From Balfour to the NakbaProfessor Maribel Fierro (Spanish National Research Council, Spain)4 November 2016Old Medical SchoolCharisma and Anti-Charisma in al-AndalusProfessor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)Professor Fred M. Donner (University of Chicago)Dr Richard Holloway FRSE23 October 2015Playfair LibraryMontgomery Watt: The Man and The ScholarThe Study of Islam’s Origins since W. Montgomery Watt's PublicationsCommitted Openness: a Glance at William Montgomery Watt’s Religious Life Other lectures and talksIslam and the Spice Trade: Towards a New History of Global Commerce Image Date: 28 February 2023Venue: 50 George SquareGuest speaker: Professor Joel Belcher (George Washington University)In brief: A lecture by Professor Belcher on lesser-known ports and practices of the 15th century spice trade given at the University. It was organised collaboratively by the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, the Edinburgh Centre for Global History, and the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.Women and the Media in Jordan Image Date: 29 November 2022Venue: Chrystal Macmillan BuildingGuest speakers: Dr Ebtihal Mahadeen (University of Edinburgh); Professor Mary Holmes (University of Edinburgh); Dr Sara Ababneh (University of Sheffield)In brief: A book launch and discussion of 'Women and the Media in Jordan: Gender, Power, Resistance', written by Dr Ebtihal Mahadeen. The discussion was followed by a Q&A and reception.Find out more about this eventHijab: Three Modern Iranian Seminarian Perspectives Image Date: 18 November 2021Venue: Online (Zoom)Speakers: Dr Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow); Professor Nacim Pak Shiraz (University of Edinburgh)In brief: An online Q&A with Dr Lloyd Ridgeon to launch his new book 'Hijab: Three Modern Iranian Seminarian Perspectives' addressing the differences of opinion among seminarians on the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this special event, Professor Nacim Pak Shiraz joined Dr Ridgeon to discuss the book and its themes.When East meets West - cultural contacts around the Mediterranean Image Date: 16 November 2019Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghEvents series: Inaugural Lectures at the University of EdinburghSpeaker: Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (University of Edinburgh)In brief: A free public lecture marking Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila becoming Iraq Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. The lecture focused on cultural transmission between Arab-Islamic and western cultures, exploring how this mutual influence has been beneficial to both cultures in attaining new heights of human culture.Browse all recent Inaugural Lectures in LLCA Stinky Fairytale: the concept of liminality in Latife Tekin's Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage HillsDate: 26 April 2019Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghSpeaker: Dr Hilal Kaya (University of Edinburgh/Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University)In brief: A lecture on the concept of liminality and its various dimensions in Latife Tekin's 'Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills' (1984).The Evolution of the Love Story in Classical Arabic Literature: Creating a ModelDate: 3 March 2017Venue: 19 George Square, University of EdinburghSpeaker: Dr Jokha Alharthi (Sultan Qaboos University)Images of the good ruler in Sasanian IranDate: 15 February 2017Venue: 19 George Square, University of EdinburghSpeaker: Professor Josef Wiesehöfer (University of Kiel) How intolerant is the Shari'a?Date: 30 September 2016Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghSpeaker: Dr Jonathan A. C. Brown (Georgetown University)In brief: In this special public lecture, Dr Brown discussed the subject of Islamic Law (Shari'a) and the extent to which the Shari'a is able to accommodate the beliefs and practices of others through the use of some unexpected case studies.Watch the full lecture on Media HopperConferences and symposiaSyria: From Severus to SaladinDate: 17 September 2016Venue: William Robertson Wing, The University of EdinburghSpeakers: Professor Ted Kaizer (University of Durham); Professor Robert Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh/University of St Andrews); Koray Durak (Bogazici University); Simon Gundelfinger (University of Hamburg); Professor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh/University of St Andrews); Dr Mike Bishop (University of Oxford)Organisers: Dr Lucy Grig (Classics, University of Edinburgh) and Dr Andrew Marsham (IMES, University of Edinburgh)In brief: A one-day conference co-organised by the School of History, Classics and Archaeology and the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. The conference comprised six public lectures and a panel discussion, broadly focusing on diverse aspects of the history, material and visual culture of Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Syria, as well as the current challenges to the preservation of Syria's archaeological heritage.Constructing Masculinities in the Middle EastDates: 9 to 11 July 2016Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghIn brief: A three-day symposium comprising four panels of three speakers as well as two film screenings (Parviz (2012); Atomic Heart (2014)). The symposium brought together researchers from across a range of disciplines to discuss the constructions of masculinities in the Middle East. Organised by the Research Network on Male Bodies and Masculinities in the Middle East, part of Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World.Islamic Studies in Scotland: Retrospect and ProspectDates: 23 and 24 October 2015Venue: Playfair LibraryIn brief: A two-day event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Inaugural Lecture of William Montgomery Watt as the first Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Scotland in October 1965. On 23 October, three lectures were given in the Playfair Library by Professor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh), Professor Fred M. Donner (University of Chicago) and Dr Richard Holloway FRSE. The following day, a symposium entitled ‘Representations of Muhammad’ brought together scholars from both Edinburgh and abroad and comprised six presentations and a round-table discussion.Film screenings and festivalsIMES at the summer festivalsEvery year, IMES staff and alumni get involved in events across the summer festivals in Edinburgh. Their events were open to the public, and they feature a multitude of themes relevant to the contemporary culture and society.Please note that this is as close to a complete list as possible, and that speaker titles and institutions may have changed from time of the eventDateFestivalVenueTitleIMES rep16 August 2023Edinburgh International Book FestivalSpark TheatreJokha Alharthi: The James Tait Black EventJokha Alharthi (PhD graduate in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies); Marilyn Booth (former Iraq Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies)18 June 2018Edinburgh International Film Festival Women in Iranian Cinema: Fatemeh Motamed-AryaProfessor Nacim Pak-Shiraz (Personal Chair of Cinema and Iran)Pop-up Iranian cinemaDate: 11 February 2016Venue: Filmhouse Cinema, EdinburghSpeakers: Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz (University of Edinburgh); Farshid Kazemi (University of Edinburgh)In brief: This informal and interactive event included a walking tour of the Iranian film posters on display at the Filmhouse Café followed by a discussion on some of the general themes within Iranian cinema, including the poetics and politics of Iranian cinema. The Arab Documentary Film Week (Edinburgh Arab Festival 2016)Dates: 11 to 15 January 2016Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghIn brief: The Arab Documentary Film Week was organised by Edinburgh Arab Festival 2016 in partnership with Al-Jazeera Documentary channel. The festival featured Meet, Greet and Eat language exchange events and screenings of five Arabic documentary films: The Storyteller (الحكواتية); Rebellious Spirits: The Revolution of Gibran Khalil Gibran (أرواح متمردة.. ثورة جبران خليل جبران); Beirut Buenos Aires Beirut (بيروت بوينوس ايرس); Fear, Anger & Politics ( خوف وغضب وسياسة); Wooden Rifle (بارودة خشب).Edinburgh Arab Festival 2015 Image Dates: 28 and 29 August 2015Venue: 50 George Square, University of EdinburghOrganiser: Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern StudiesIn brief: The Edinburgh Arab Festival was a two-day cultural festival providing visitors with a unique opportunity to gain an insight into Arab culture through a wide array of open events. The programme included over 30 individual events, including workshops, speeches and seminars in poetry, storytelling, fashion, film screenings, photography, calligraphy, art exhibitions, language taster classes, music, live entertainment, and food tasting.Browse our photo gallery of the festival on FlickrWith the Filmmakers: Continuities and Discontinuities in Iranian Cinema Image Dates: 23 to 24 June 2014Venue: Filmhouse, EdinburghSpeakers: Nacim Pak-Shiraz (University of Edinburgh); Hamid Naficy (Northwestern University), Chris Fujiwara (EIFF)In brief: A two-day panel event as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) 2014 providing audiences with a rare opportunity to hear Iranian filmmakers discuss their work. Discussions with Ebrahim Golestan, Parviz Kimiavi, Dariush Mehrjui, Sara Rastegar, Ali Karim, Mehran Tamaddon, Mania Akbari and Shahram Mokri focused on the consistencies, breaks and gaps within Iranian cinema, from pre-Revolutionary times to the present. Exhibitions, workshops and performancesIslamic Mosaic Colouring Workshop Image Date: 12 December 2022Venue: The University ChaplaincyOrganiser: The Chaplaincy and the Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies departmentIn brief: A session delivered and facilitated by Mourad Diouri (IMES) and Rev Geoffrey Baines (The Chaplaincy). It was a hands-on workshop of Islamic Mosaic colouring, journaling and doodling to celebrate the UN’s International Day of Islamic Art on the 18 November 2022.Moroccan Studies in the UKDate: 1 March 2019Venue: Appleton Tower, University of EdinburghKeynote speaker: Dr Michael Willis (St Antony's College, University of Oxford)Organiser: Dr Mériam Cheikh (University of Edinburgh)In brief: This one-day workshop comprised three themed panel sessions and a keynote lecture. Held in partnership with Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions - European Commission, Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Sociologie (LAMES - CNRS) and Maison méditerranéenne des sciences de l’homme (MMSH). This article was published on 2024-08-13