Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Waseem Farooq In brief Date - 26 February 2024 Guest speaker - Mr Waseem Farooq (Aga Khan University) Title - The Function of the Library and Librarian in the Decolonising of the Curriculum Format - Talk, Q&A and reception Email for joining details About the event This seminar will explore the essential role that librarians, particularly those with specialist knowledge of the area and the language, play in ensuring that decolonisation research concerning the Global South is considered in institutes that offer courses and conduct research on the region. The process of decolonising a curriculum must be a collaborative effort between the faculty and the library; whilst the faculty ensures the curriculum and the reading list is representative, the librarians not only support and facilitate such a process but actively contribute by proposing resources that reflect alternative perspectives. Mr Waseem Farooq will offer an overview of the discussions and efforts that have contributed to the decolonising process in the context of academic libraries. More specifically, he will suggest decolonisation processes for libraries serving Middle East Studies departments, and ask how these processes could influence the prevalent management structures in those academic libraries. This event will underscore the effects on collection management, collection development, information literacy and recruitment. Furthermore, it will emphasise the pivotal role of the subject specialist librarian in this process. With this in mind, it will demonstrate the lack of subject specialist librarians at universities offering teaching on the Middle East, and question whether decolonising a library is achievable without them. About the speaker Mr Waseem Farooq obtained a BA (Honours) Arabic with Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the University of Durham (2002); MA Library and Information Studies at UCL (2012); MA Historical Research Methods at SOAS University of London (2014). Waseem began his career in librarianship as an Arabic Cataloguer and then Leading Library Assistant at the British Library in 2002. He then joined the Aga Khan University, London in 2005 and became Librarian in 2010, and he is now the Reference and Instructional Librarian there. Waseem is also the co-chair of Middle East Libraries Committee UK (MELCOM-UK) and treasurer and council member of BRISMES. About the seminar series This seminar series critically employs the concept of decoloniality, a term coined by sociologist Anibal Quijano. By questioning the boundaries of knowledge production, agency and representation more specifically within the curriculum in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, the series will bring together a diverse range of perspectives on historical and contemporary topics, interrogating some unexamined framings that shape our understanding of the Middle East. Seminars will be interdisciplinary, covering diverse themes, such as: Arabic teaching pedagogy; archiving and the production of history during and after the British Mandate in Scotland, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia; Saudi Arabia’s progressive narratives; the role of libraries and librarians in the UK. The series also explores new avenues in the study of the region, reflecting on its positionality within Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and by looking into consolidating interdisciplinarity and dialogue with other fields. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining details. All talks are followed by a reception. Email for joining details Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present. Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Feb 26 2024 17.00 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Waseem Farooq Join us on campus for a seminar by Mr Waseem Farooq (Aga Khan University) on how libraries and librarians play a pivotal role in decolonising the curriculum. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Email for joining details
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Waseem Farooq In brief Date - 26 February 2024 Guest speaker - Mr Waseem Farooq (Aga Khan University) Title - The Function of the Library and Librarian in the Decolonising of the Curriculum Format - Talk, Q&A and reception Email for joining details About the event This seminar will explore the essential role that librarians, particularly those with specialist knowledge of the area and the language, play in ensuring that decolonisation research concerning the Global South is considered in institutes that offer courses and conduct research on the region. The process of decolonising a curriculum must be a collaborative effort between the faculty and the library; whilst the faculty ensures the curriculum and the reading list is representative, the librarians not only support and facilitate such a process but actively contribute by proposing resources that reflect alternative perspectives. Mr Waseem Farooq will offer an overview of the discussions and efforts that have contributed to the decolonising process in the context of academic libraries. More specifically, he will suggest decolonisation processes for libraries serving Middle East Studies departments, and ask how these processes could influence the prevalent management structures in those academic libraries. This event will underscore the effects on collection management, collection development, information literacy and recruitment. Furthermore, it will emphasise the pivotal role of the subject specialist librarian in this process. With this in mind, it will demonstrate the lack of subject specialist librarians at universities offering teaching on the Middle East, and question whether decolonising a library is achievable without them. About the speaker Mr Waseem Farooq obtained a BA (Honours) Arabic with Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the University of Durham (2002); MA Library and Information Studies at UCL (2012); MA Historical Research Methods at SOAS University of London (2014). Waseem began his career in librarianship as an Arabic Cataloguer and then Leading Library Assistant at the British Library in 2002. He then joined the Aga Khan University, London in 2005 and became Librarian in 2010, and he is now the Reference and Instructional Librarian there. Waseem is also the co-chair of Middle East Libraries Committee UK (MELCOM-UK) and treasurer and council member of BRISMES. About the seminar series This seminar series critically employs the concept of decoloniality, a term coined by sociologist Anibal Quijano. By questioning the boundaries of knowledge production, agency and representation more specifically within the curriculum in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, the series will bring together a diverse range of perspectives on historical and contemporary topics, interrogating some unexamined framings that shape our understanding of the Middle East. Seminars will be interdisciplinary, covering diverse themes, such as: Arabic teaching pedagogy; archiving and the production of history during and after the British Mandate in Scotland, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia; Saudi Arabia’s progressive narratives; the role of libraries and librarians in the UK. The series also explores new avenues in the study of the region, reflecting on its positionality within Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and by looking into consolidating interdisciplinarity and dialogue with other fields. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining details. All talks are followed by a reception. Email for joining details Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present. Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Feb 26 2024 17.00 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Waseem Farooq Join us on campus for a seminar by Mr Waseem Farooq (Aga Khan University) on how libraries and librarians play a pivotal role in decolonising the curriculum. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Email for joining details
Feb 26 2024 17.00 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Waseem Farooq Join us on campus for a seminar by Mr Waseem Farooq (Aga Khan University) on how libraries and librarians play a pivotal role in decolonising the curriculum.
