The Middle East Studies Forum is pleased to announce its biannual Middle East studies conference, which this year will focus on Trump and the Middle East. The conference will take place from 29 – 31 October 2018 at Deakin University Burwood.
29 October – PhD workshop
30 – 31 October – Full conference
Donald Trump’s presidency has added a new layer of complexity to the politics of the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia. The new administration has signalled its intention to reverse key US policy conventions in the region: President Trump vowed to revoke the historic nuclear deal signed between Iran and P5+1, and appeared to endorse Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar. In December 2017, Trump broke ranks with European partners to announce that the US embassy would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although this may not represent a shift in long-term US priorities, it certainly presents a break with previous US foreign policy in the region. At the same time, some of the new threads in US politics are deeply familiar to the Middle East. As a bastion of populism and authoritarianism, the region is no stranger to controversial leadership and large-scale popular protests. It is in this context of significant domestic and international change that new thinking is needed.
Keynote Speakers:
Professor Fethi Mansouri, UNESCO Chair in comparative research on Cultural Diversity and Social Justice (Deakin University)
Dr Simon Mabon, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion (University of Lancaster)
Download the Call for Papers here.
Conference committee
- Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh
- Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed
- Dr Dara Conduit
- Safiullah Taye
Call for papers
The conference committee welcomes the submission of abstracts and panel proposals that address contemporary Middle East politics and foreign policy, including (but not limited to) the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, women’s rights, civil liberties and democracy in the region, extremism in South Asia, and regional security.
For the extremism in South Asia stream, see this framing document.
Submission guidelines:
For individual abstract submissions: Please use the provided template to submit a 200-word abstract and 100-word bio to mesf@deakin.edu.au by May 31, 2018.
For panel proposals: Please use the provided template to submit a 200-word panel overview, as well as a 200-word abstract for each paper and a 100-word bio for each contributor to mesf@deakin.edu.au by May 31, 2018.