London Middle East Institute, SOAS · British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) British-Yemeni Society Centre for Supporters of Human Rights Forum Iran LSE Middle East Centre

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013

London Middle EastInstitute, SOAS

Annual Report 2012/2013and Financial Report 2011/2012

Director: Dr Hassan HakimianExecutive Officer and Company Secretary: Ms Louise HoskingEvents and Magazine Coordinator: Mr Vincenzo PaciAdministrative Assistant: Ms Valentina Zanardi Coordinating Editor (Middle East in London Magazine): Ms Sarah Johnston Designer (Middle East in London Magazine): Ms Shahla Geramipour

LMEI ORGANISATION AND MEMBERSHIP(2012-13)

Staff of the London Middle East Institute

Lady Barbara Judge (Chair)Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, MBI Al Jaber Foundation (Founding Patron and Donor of LMEI)Prof. Muhammad Abdel-Haleem, OBE, SOASHE Mr Khaled al-Duwaisan GCVO, Ambassador, Embassy of the State of KuwaitMrs Haifa Al Kaylani, Arab International Women’s ForumDr Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, University College of BahrainProf. Tony Allan, Geography Department, King’s CollegeDr Alanoud Alsharekh, LMEI and Fellow, St Antony’s CollegeMr Farad Azima, Iran Heritage FoundationMr Stephen Ball, KPMGDr Noel Brehony, MENAS Associates LtdMr Charles Buderi, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLPMs Zeynep Dereli, APCO WorldwideProf. Magdy Ishak Hanna, British Egyptian SocietyHE Mr Mazen Kemal Homoud, Ambassador, Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of JordanMr Alan JenkinsMr Zaki Nusseibeh

Prof. Muhammad Abdel-HaleemProf. Gilbert AchcarDr Fiona AdamsonDr Arshin Adib-MoghaddamDominique Akhoun-SchwarbProf. Nadje Al-AliProf. Abdul Hakim Ibrahim Al- MatroudiDr Randa AlamiProf. Tony AllanMr Ahmad AlkhashemProf. Peter AustinProf. Mashood BaderinProf. Doris Behrens-AbouseifDr Teresa BernheimerDr Helen BlatherwickDr Elisa CavatortaProf. William Gervase Clarence-SmithDr Anna ContadiniDr Bhavna DaveDr Francois de BloisDr George DedesDr Tamar DrukkerMs Sorour DundonMr Ian EdgeDr Ayman El-DesoukyDr Heather ElgoodDr Nada ElzeerDr Johathan ErcanbrackMs Narguess FarzadDr Bassam FattouhProf. Ben FortnaMr Nick FosterDr Nelida FuccaroProf. Andrew GeorgeDr Hassan HakimianDr Marlé HammondDr Adam HaniehDr Jane Harrigan Dr Jan-Peter HartungProf. Brian George HewittProf. Catherine HezserDr Doreen HinchcliffeProf. Almut HintzeDr Konrad HirschlerDr Steve HopgoodDr Erica HunterProf. Bruce InghamDr Salwa IsmailProf. Massoud Karshenas Prof. Hugh KennedyDr Laleh KhaliliProf. Geoffrey King

Dr Karima LaachirDr Mark LaffeyDr George LaneDr Martin LauDr Christopher LucasDr Makeen MakeenProf. Trevor Marchand Dr Thomas MaroisDr Dina MatarDr Nima MinaMs Shabnam MirafzaliDr Simon MorleyDr Corinna MullinDr Matthew NelsonDr Scott NewtonDr Caroline OsellaDr Wen-chin OuyangDr Dan PleschDr Marina PyrovolakiDr Elaheh Rostami-PoveyMr Mohammad SaidMr Muaadh SalihDr Ruba SalihProf. Iain ScobbieDr Mustafa ShahDr Ayman ShihadehProf. Colin ShindlerDr Amrita ShodhanProf. Nicholas Sims-WilliamsDr Graham SmithDr Renate Söhnen-ThiemeMs Savitri SperlDr Stefan SperlProf. Annabelle SrebernyDr Sarah StewartDr Stefano TagliaDr Hanan ToukanProf. Charles TrippDr Anicee Van EngelandMr Frans van KoppenDr Leslie VinjamuriDr Gabriele vom BruckMr Burzine WaghmarDr Yair WallachDr Mark WeedenDr Lynn Welchman Dr Myriam WissaDr Abigail WoodProf. Owen WrightDr Katharine ZebiriDr Cosimo ZeneDr Saeed Zeydabadi-NejadMs Rafeef Ziadah

LMEI Advisory Council

SOAS Academic Members

LMEI Board of TrusteesProf. Paul Webley (Chair), Director, SOASDr John Curtis, British MuseumHE Sir Vincent Fean KCVO, HM Consul General to JerusalemProf. Ben Fortna. SOASProf. Graham Furniss, SOASMr Alan JenkinsDr Karima Laachir, SOASProf. Annabelle Sreberny, SOASDr Barbara Zollner, Birkbeck, University of London

Dr Hamid KeshmirshekanDr Mohammad NafissiDr Kathryn Spellman PootsProf. Sami Zubaida

LMEI Research Associates

DONATIONS, SPONSORSHIP and AFFILIATIONS

Founding Patron and Donor Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, MBI Al Jaber Foundation

Institutional AffiliatesAga Khan University (International) Institute for the Study of Muslim CivilisationsThe Arab-British CentreBonyad Jaleh EsfahaniBritish Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA)British-Yemeni SocietyCentre for Supporters of Human RightsForum IranLSE Middle East CentrePersian Music ClubPetroleum InstituteRefugee Art & Culture Enterprise

Individual Affiliates pay £30 per year, £10 for students, for which they receive an annual subscription to ‘The Middle East in London’ magazine, inclusion on e-mail and mailing lists for notification of upcoming events, and special rates for LMEI conferences and publications.

Institutional Affiliation is £250 per year. Institutional Affiliates are entitled to the same benefits as Individual Affiliates, please see below, along with the free use of a room at SOAS for an event lasting up to two hours, and up to four copies of each edition of the magazine. They will also be acknowledged in LMEI publicity material, including the website: www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/.

Corporate Sponsorship is £1,500 per year. Benefits include those enjoyed by Institutional Affiliates, please see below, together with up to two tailored private briefings per year, free copies of LMEI occasional papers, and special advertising rates with the LMEI.

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 2

The aim of the LMEI, through education and research, is to promote knowledge of all aspects of the Middle East including its complexities, problems, achievements and assets, both among the general public and with those who have special interest in the region.

In this task it will build on two essential assets. First, it is based in London, a city which has unrivalled contemporary and historical connections and communications with the Middle East: political, social, cultural, commercial, scientific and educational. Secondly, the LMEI is at SOAS, the only tertiary educational institution in the world whose explicit purpose is to provide training and scholarship on the whole Middle East from prehistory until today.

Director’s Letter PublicationsLectures, Seminars and Other EventsLMEI Centres and Summer SchoolPhD Theses on the Middle EastAcknowledgementsFinancial Statement

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Last year was another extremely busy year for us at the London Middle East Institute.

With major events sweeping the region throughout 2012/13, our role and mission proved ever more important: ‘to advance knowledge and understanding of the Middle East among both the general public and for those with a specialist interest in the region’.

The initiatives in this report – a mixture of old and new – are a testament to the range and diversity of LMEI’s interests as well as the high quality of regional expertise, from inside and outside SOAS, on which we draw. As always, we continued with our well-established and ongoing programmes and at same time introduced an excellent range of pioneering initiatives. These included four very high-profile conferences: ‘Education in Egypt’ (with the British Egyptian Society, in September 2012), ‘The Future of Yemen’ (with the British Yemeni Society, in January 2013), ‘The Second International Conference on the Iranian Economy’ (in Istanbul, June 2013), and finally a ground-breaking conference on ‘The Contemporary Art in the Middle East’ (in July 2013).

Our two sub-centres – The Centre for Iranian Studies and The Centre for Palestine Studies – have continued to provide a clear academic identity and focus for their respective constituencies and have helped galvanise much energy and interest in these fields, as evidenced by various events reported in this volume.

Likewise, our flagship magazine, The Middle East in London, continues as a cornerstone of our outreach activities, attracting much interest. Exciting and new programmes have not prevented us from attending to our longer-term and continuing interests and commitments. You will get a sense of our other busy schedules throughout the year by glancing through this report: from our regular lecture series on the contemporary Middle East to various occasional lectures, debating panels, cultural events, book launches and, of course, publications.

As the world continues to be fascinated by our region – sometimes apprehensively of course – we remain convinced of the relevance of our mission for both the academic milieu and the wider communities.

Hassan Hakimian


Publications

The past year has been action packed for The Middle East in London, LMEI’s bi-monthly magazine. The uprisings in the region and the changes they have prompted have permeated a number of issues and articles. The magazine continues to cover a wide range of topics including art, economics, politics, exhibitions, food and media while the extensive reviews and events section gives an overview of the many Middle East related events going on in London. This year, there have been in-depth features on the Kurds, protest, media, Saudi Arabia and religious minorities, featuring insightful and informative pieces from members of the academic community and the wider Middle Eastern community in London. Highlights have included interviews with Hoda al-Helaissi, one of the first women to sit on the Majlis ash-Shura in Saudi Arabia and Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of London-based newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.

In November 2012, the board said ‘thank you and goodbye’ to the magazine’s Coordinating Editor, Rhiannon Edwards, who edited some excellent issues over the year she was with the magazine. Sarah Johnson, a journalist currently working at the Guardian, has taken her place. The year to come promises to be as exciting as the last one with issues planned on culinary connections, Palestine, Iran and Lebanon.

Members of the LMEI can access the entire contents of the magazine through the website www.lmei.soas.ac.uk.

Editorial Board of The Middle East in London

Prof. Nadje Al-Ali, SOASMs Narguess Farzad, SOASMr Roger HardyMs Nevsal Hughes, Association of European JournalistsMr Najm JarrahDr George Joffé, Cambridge UniversityMr Max Scott, Gilgamesh PublishingMs Sarah Searight, British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA)Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots, Aga Khan University (International) Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and LMEIDr Sarah Stewart, SOASMs Ionis Thompson, British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) and Saudi-British SocietyDr Shelagh Weir, SOASProf. Sami Zubaida, Birkbeck College

The Middle East in London (MEL)

THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: THE MEDIATHE MEDIA Seismic shifts in the Middle East Seismic shifts in the Middle East Politics, Politics, petrodollars and the press petrodollars and the press Syria: The media as battleground Syria: The media as battleground ‘People don’t want to be lied ‘People don’t want to be lied to’ to’ Iranian journalism and ‘the land of freedom’ Iranian journalism and ‘the land of freedom’ Leaves of learning Leaves of learning From Gaza refugee From Gaza refugee camp to running a London newspaper camp to running a London newspaper Defying the odds: How one bookshop became Defying the odds: How one bookshop became London’s base for Arab culture London’s base for Arab culture A vibrant diaspora A vibrant diaspora PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London

Volume 9 - Number 2Volume 9 - Number 2February – March 2013February – March 2013

£4 £4 || €5 €5 || US$6.5 US$6.5

Volume 9 - Number 3Volume 9 - Number 3April – May 2013April – May 2013

£4 £4 || €5 €5 || US$6.5 US$6.5

THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: SAUDI ARABIASAUDI ARABIA The giant with the feet of clay The giant with the feet of clay In the shadow In the shadow of revolutions of revolutions A powerful cultural statement: Dress in Saudi Arabia A powerful cultural statement: Dress in Saudi Arabia Women appointed to Women appointed to the Majlis Ash-Shura for the first time the Majlis Ash-Shura for the first time Explorer St. John Philby and his collection of ‘many Explorer St. John Philby and his collection of ‘many treasures’ treasures’ Contemporary Saudi Arabian art in London Contemporary Saudi Arabian art in London Riyadh’s new underground railway Riyadh’s new underground railway

The international prize for Arabic ction The international prize for Arabic ction PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London

Volume 9 - Number 4Volume 9 - Number 4June – July 2013June – July 2013£4 £4 || €5 €5 || US$6.5 US$6.5

THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: RELIGIOUS MINORITIESRELIGIOUS MINORITIES Who is Hussain? Who is Hussain? Minorities in North Africa Minorities in North Africa Constitutional reform in Egypt and Turkey Constitutional reform in Egypt and Turkey The Assyrian diaspora The Assyrian diaspora in London in London Armenians and the arts Armenians and the arts Zoroastrians in London Zoroastrians in London The Bahá’í community in the The Bahá’í community in the UK UK Middle Eastern Jews in London Middle Eastern Jews in London PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London

Volume 9 - Number 5Volume 9 - Number 5October – November 2013October – November 2013

£4 £4 || €5 €5 || US$6.5 US$6.5

THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: CULINARY CONNECTIONSCULINARY CONNECTIONS Kebab and mezze Kebab and mezze globalised globalised An interview with Claudia Roden An interview with Claudia Roden Coffee then and now Coffee then and now Water: A drink for Water: A drink for epicures epicures Beekeeping in Britain and Arabia Beekeeping in Britain and Arabia Food in Persian poetry Food in Persian poetry Sultans of Rome Sultans of Rome PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London


The Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa SeriesSeries Editor: Hassan Hakimian, LMEIPublished by Routledge

Launched in 2003, the Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa Series is devoted to widening in-depth analysis and understanding of the economic and political dynamics of the region. It has been established as a respected source of academic research and publication for MENA students and scholars who are keen to disseminate their latest research on this area.

The aim of the Series is to publish both specialist and more general titles pertaining to the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa region – broadly defined as including countries from Morocco to Iran. The Series is overseen by an international Editorial Board (see list below) whose members possess a broad range of expertise and areas of specialism.

Submissions from prospective authors are welcomed, and should be sent in the first instance to the series editor ([email protected]). The series is open to single-authored books as well as edited volumes and textbooks. All manuscripts are subject to international standards of peer review.

Editorial Board of The Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa

Prof. David Cobham, Heriot Watt UniversityProf. Nu’man Kanafani, University of CopenhagenProf. Massoud Karshenas, SOAS Prof. Jeffrey B. Nugent, University of Southern CaliforniaProf. Jennifer Olmsted, Drew University, New Jersey Prof. Karen Pfeifer, Smith College, Northampton, MassachusettsProf. Wassim Shahin, Lebanese American University (LAU)Prof. Sübidey Togan, Centre for International Economics at Bilkent UniversityDr Jackline Wahba, University of Southampton

Edited by Mahmoud Elkhafif, Sahar Taghdisi-Rad, Mutasim Elagraa

The Arab Spring and the popular uprisings that have taken place in many Arab countries since the end of 2010 have highlighted the urgent need for economic policy reorientation in these countries. Economic and Trade Policies in the Arab World addresses key issues relevant to the contemporary economic realities of the Arab economies including policy space, more productive and decent employment, social justice and poverty alleviation, regional integration, and the failure of the structural adjustment programmes recommended by the Bretton Woods institutions.

Economic and Trade Policies in the Arab World: Employment, Poverty Reduction and Integration

For the full list of titles in the series please visit www.routledge.com/books/series/routledge_political_economy_of_the_middle_east_and_north_africa_SE0387/

For a full list of LMEI publications contact the Executive Officer at [email protected]

Recent Titles:


Lectures, Seminars and O

ther EventsThe following is a list of the broad range of events organised by the LMEI, either solely or in partnership with other institutions, in the 2012-13 academic year.

Arabian Peninsula

17 Sep How Alien a Yemeni Am I?(Lecture) Taher Ali Qassim MBE, Public Health Neighbourhood Manager, Liverpool Primary Care Trust.Organised by The British Yemeni Society in association with the LMEI.

30 Oct Islam, Gender and Reform in Oman (Lecture) Khalid Al-Azri, Oxford University. Chaired by: Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS.

11-12 Jan Yemen: Challenges for the Future (Two-Day Conference) Organised by The British-Yemeni Society (BYS) and the LMEI.

05 Feb The Art of Heritage Collection: Traditional Dress in Saudi Arabia(Lecture) Aisa Martinez, LMEI. Chaired by: Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS.

13 Mar The Vulnerabilities of AuthoritarianUpgrading in Yemen(Lecture) Larissa Alles, University of St Andrews.Organised by The British-Yemeni Society in association with the LMEI.

29 May The Role of the PDRY in Creating a South Yemeni Identity(Lecture) Noel Brehony. Organised by the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) in association with the LMEI.

North Africa18-19 Sep Education: the Best Investment

(Two-Day Conference) Organised by the British Egyptian Society, the LMEI and Cairo University.

20 Nov The Muslim Brotherhood’s Civil State with an Islamic Reference: Democracy Redefined or Confined?(Lecture) Mariz Tadros, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. Chaired by: Ruba Salih, SOAS.

15 Jan Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution(Lecture) Ethan Chorin, Berkeley Research Group.

12 Oct Arabesk Revisited: Music and Cultural Politics in 21st-Century TurkeyMartin Stokes, King’s College London. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series organised by the LMEI Modern Turkish Studies Programme. Sponsored by Nurol Bank. Convened by Benjamin Fortna, SOAS.

02 Nov Patriarchy to Masculinist Restoration: the Changing Faces of Male Dominance in TurkeyDeniz Kandiyoti, SOAS. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for details.

23 Nov The Making of Modern Ankara: Space,Politics and Representation (Symposium) Organised by the Department of Architecture at the University of Westminster in conjunction with SOAS Seminars on Turkey. Part of the LMEI Turkish Studies Programme. Sponsored by Nurol Bank.

25 Jan Protector or Occupier? Current Turkish Cypriot Perceptions of TurkeyRebecca Bryant, LSE. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for details.

8 Mar The First World War and the OttomanEmpire: The Home-Front PerspectiveYiğit Akın, College of Charleston/Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for details.

22 Mar Changing Historical Perceptions in Turkey: The Case of Sultan Abdülhamid IISerkan Yazıcı, Sakarya University. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for details.

21 May State-Nationalisms in the Ottoman Empire, Greece and Turkey(Book Launch) Richard Clogg, Benjamin Fortna, Stefanos Katsikas, Dimitris Kamouzis and Paraskevas Konortas. Part of the LMEI Turkish Studies Programme. Sponsored by Nurol Bank.

Turkey

Professor Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub speaking at the September 2012 two-day conference on Education: the Best Investment


11 Dec Occupying Syria under the FrenchMandate: Insurgency, Space and State Formation(Lecture) Dan Neep, University of Exeter and Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL). Chaired by: Charles Tripp, SOAS.

2 Mar Difficult Transition: Iraq’s Road to Democracy, 10 Years On(One-Day Conference) Organised by the LMEI and the International Committee to Support Iraqi Democracy (ICSID).

23 Mar The Invasion of Iraq: Two Panel Discussions on Art and Politics(Panel Discussion) Organised by Reel Festivals and the LMEI.

4 Jun Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here - London (Talk/Reading) Beau Beausoleil. Chaired by: Nadje Al-Ali, Centre for Gender Studies & the LMEI. Organised by the LMEI.

10 Jun Religion and State in Syria - the SunniUlama from Coup to Revolution (Book Launch) Thomas Pierret. Chaired by: Charles Tripp, SOAS.

Other23 Sep Mehregan Festival at SOAS

(Talk/Performance) Namdar Baghayi, Shahrokh Vafadari, Mahmoud Kavir, Manouchehr Javaher Kalam and Maziar Sadri. Organised by the Poetry and Music Chamber of Iranians in the UK and the Ferdowsi Trust in association with the LMEI.

6 Oct Dowlatabadi’s Special Night

(Talk/Performance) Organised by Forum Iran in association with LMEI.

16 Oct Iran Economic Sanctions: Foreign Policy Tool or Weapon of Mass Destruction?(Lecture) Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS.

30 Oct The London MENA (Middle East & North Africa) Film Festival @ SOAS(Film) Organised by the London MENA (Middle East & North Africa) Film Festival (LMFF) in association with the LMEI.

31 Oct Joseph Pitts: an English Slave in Algiers and Arabia and his Contribution to our Knowledge of the Muslim World (Lecture) Paul Auchterlonie, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. Organised by the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) in association with the LMEI.

13 Nov Women and the Arab Spring: Feminine Voices in a Time of Transition(Lecture) Nimah Nawab, writer, lecturer and activist. Chaired by: Dina Matar, SOAS.

04 Dec The Sudanese Breadbasket: Land andWater Grabs by Middle Eastern EconomiesTony Allan, KCL & SOAS, Eckart Woertz, Princeton & Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, Harry Verhoeven, Oxford University and Martin Keulertz, KCL.

05 Dec The Hadassah and Daniel Khalili Memorial Lecture in Islamic Art and Culture: The Painted Ceilings of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo(Lecture) Jeremy Johns, Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East, University of Oxford. Chaired by: Doris Behrens-Abouseif, SOAS. Organised by the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS and the LMEI.

14 Dec Book Launch: Shirin EbadiOrganised by Forum Iran in association with the LMEI.

29 Jan Women’s Perceptions of Access to Justice in Iran(Lecture) Sahar Maranlou, University of Warwick. Chaired by: Ziba Mir-Hosseini, SOAS.

10-15 Jan Yarshater Lecture Series - Images andDecoration in the Persianate WorldFour lectures by Yves Porter, University of Aix-Marseille, France.Organised by the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS and the LMEI

Iraq & Syria

Left to right: Dr Hassan Hakimian, Dr Cyrus Ala’i, Professor Paul Webley and Dr Arshin Adib-Moghaddam at the Variations on a Persian Theme: Maps as Messages reception


10 Jan The Making of Persian Paintings (14th-16th centuries)

11 Jan Poetical Iconography on PersianCeramics (end 12th-early 14th centuries)

14 Jan Use and Re-use of Persian Tiles

15 Jan Glazed Tiles in the Indian Sultanates

19 Jan Poetry, Satire, Music, Dance - Announcing the Winners of the Jaleh Esfahani Poetry Prize(Performance) Haroon Yousofi, Mahalat Ajam and Flamenco South.Organised by the Jaleh Esfahani Foundation in association with the LMEI.

13-16 Feb Urban Violence in the Middle East:Histories of Place and Event(Four-Day Conference) Organised by the Department of History, SOAS with the support of the LMEI and funded by the AHRC.

19 Feb Iran’s Nuclear Programme: A Surge into Modernity(Lecture) David Patrikarakos, Author and Journalist. Chaired by: Ziba Moshaver.

26 Feb Rags, Tommy-Guns and the King:Palestinians and the Pedagogical Regime, c. 1956.(Lecture) Mezna Qato, St Antony’s College, Oxford. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS. Organised by the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) and the LMEI.

19 Feb Arab Revolutions, Challenges andProspects(Lecture) Fawwaz Traboulsi. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS.

17 May Revolution by Love: Emerging Arab Youth Voices(Book Launch) Dala Ghandour; Emna Ben Yedder; Muna Al Bulushi; Samah El Meri. Chaired by: Dina Matar, SOAS. Organised by Revolution by Love Book Committee in association with the LMEI.

1 Jun A Review of the Performance of the Feminist Movement in Iran after the Revolution of 1979Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2003Organised by the Centre for Supporters of Human Rights. Hosted by LMEI.

18-19 Jun Ivory Trade and Exchange in LateAntiquity and Early Islam (Two-Day Colloquium) Organised by the Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, SOAS with the support of the LMEI and The Warburg Institute. Held in association with The Leverhulme Trust.

5 - 6 Jul Regional vis-à-vis Global Discourses: Contemporary Art from the Middle East(Two-Day Conference) Organised by the LMEI and sponsored by The Barakat Trust, Goethe Institute, Iran Heritage Foundation, Caspian Arts Foundation, Ibraaz, and Shubbak Festival.

Left to right: Valentina Zanardi, LMEI, Louise Hosking, LMEI, Hamid Keshmirshekan, LMEI, Professor James W. Allan, Oxford University, at the Regional vis-à-vis Global Discourses: Contemporary Art from the Middle East conference reception at the British Museum

Consultancies

7 Feb Iraq Briefing for Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Briefing with Roger HardyOrganised by the LMEI.

11-15 Feb Political IslamA one-week programme organised by SOAS REO and the LMEI.


Centre for Iranian StudiesThe Centre for Iranian Studies has continued to expand its range of activities throughout the past academic year, playing host to a range of cultural events and performance arts. Its monthly film screenings have established a strong following under the remit of Dr Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, senior teaching fellow at the Centre for Media and Film Studies at SOAS, and have introduced a new generation of film goers to Iranian cinema.

The Institutional Partnership Programme (IPP) with the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), consisting of six-monthly Fellowships, has also been particularly successful. The Programme’s second Fellow, Dr Mohammad Maljoo, whose research is focussed upon the oil labour movement in Iran was appointed from January to June 2013, and its third Fellow, Dr Mansour Talebpour, who completed his PhD in International Law at SOAS, is currently conducting his research on the United Nations Security Council and the US Unilateral Sanctions on Iran and international human rights standards. His appointment runs from July to December 2013.

1 Sep Fundraising for the Victims of the Earthquake in Iran (Azerbaijan) Events and activities including musical performances, plays and poetry readings, film screenings, painting and photography.

25 Oct Monthly Film Screening: KICK IN IRAN Dir Fatima Abdollahyan (2010), 82 mins. Followed by a Q&A with the director, Fatima Abdollahyan, and Fari Bradley, Iranian arts broadcaster. Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

16 Nov An Evening in Honour of Homa KatouzianTraditional Persian music and talks.

20 Nov Like Sugar in Milk: Stories of Zoroastrian Migration to the South East of England (Exhibition) Organised by BandBazi in association with the Centre for Iranian Studies.

22 Nov Monthly Film Screening: 10 + 4Dir Mania Akbari (2007), Iran, 77 mins. Followed by a Q&A. Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

28 Jan Monthly Film Screening: In Search of a Healer & Throw a Stone into the WaterTwo documentaries by Hassan Solhjoo. Followed by a Q&A.Chaired by Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

06 Nov Between Empires: Shah ´Abbas I through the Eyes of Shahjahan Padshah (Lecture) Saqib Baburi, former Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) Visiting Fellow. Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies.

09 Feb The Idea of Iran: From Saljuq Collapse to Mongol Conquest (Symposium) The tenth programme in The Idea of Iran annual series. Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies and the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Sponsored by the Soudavar Memorial Foundation.

16 Feb A Concert: Rumi’s Spiritual Odyssey Organised by Light of Music in cooperation with the Centre for Iranian Studies.

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Performance of traditional Persian music at An Evening in Honour of Homa Katouzian


15 May The Legal Aspects of Religious Diversity in Iran Houchang Chehabi, Boston University. Chaired by: Ziba Moshaver.

22 May Variations on a Persian Theme: Maps as Messages(Talk/Presentation) Cyrus Ala’i, Peter Barber and Francis Herbert. Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies and the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF).

18 Jun The Political Agency of Oil Labour in Post-revolutionary Iran (Lecture) Mohammad Maljoo, Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Iranian Studies.

20 Jun Monthly Film Screening: Reza Ghassemi - A Documentary by Mohammad AbdiDocumentary on the Iranian author, Reza Ghassemi. Followed by a Q&A with the director.

24-25 Jun IIEA - Second International Conferenceon the Iranian Economy(Two-Day Conference) Organised by the International Iranian Economic Association (IIEA) and LMEI.

20 Aug Off the Curtain: A Performance of Rostam and Sohrab(Performance) Organised by Sara Mashayekh in association with the Centre for Iranian Studies.

5 Mar Iran’s Expanding Relations with LatinAmerica (Lecture) Manouchehr Dorraj, Texas Christian University and a Visiting Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for International and Regional Studies, Doha, Qatar. Chaired by: Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Iranian Studies.

6 Mar Women and the ‘Arab Spring’: Lessonsfrom Iran? (Lecture) Haideh Moghissi, Professor and Trudeau Fellow, Department of Equity Studies, York University, Toronto. Organised by the Department for Development Studies, SOAS and supported by the Centre for Iranian Studies and the LMEI.

10 Mar A Celebration of the Life & Work of Maestro Homayoun Khoram - A Musical Tribute(Concert) Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies with the support of the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), BARAX promotions and the British Iranian Business Association (BIBA).

18 Mar Monthly Film Screening: My Tehran forSaleDir Granaz Mousavi (2009). Followed by a Q&A with the director. Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

23 Mar A Musical Celebration of Nowruz with Persian, Kurdish and Azari Music(Concert)

Summer SchoolThe LMEI introduced its first Middle East Summer School in 2013 which included two popular SOAS courses: an Arabic Language Course (at introductory or intermediate level) and another on ‘Government and Politics of the Middle East’.

The intensive five-week pilot programme was hailed a success by the participants and has been established as part of the SOAS Summer School portfolio. Twelve students from Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Far East successfully completed the Summer School, the majority experiencing life at SOAS for the first time.

Comments from students included:

‘The timing, setting and focus were very attractive… the mix of students was a plus, what more could have been expected.’

‘It was a very instructive course… I have an overall better view of the situation in the Middle East. I hope to come [back] to SOAS soon … and due to this experience I am really looking forward to it.’

LMEI Summer School students 2013


9 Oct Palestine Now: Writers Respond (Panel Discussion) Rachel Shabi, author, Selma Dabbagh, author, Miranda Pennell, activist and film-maker, and Naomi Foyle, British Writers in Support of Palestine. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Palestine Studies. Chaired by: Bidisha, journalist for the Guardian, the Observer, the FT and the New Statesman.

23 Oct Visualising Palestine - Selecting Imagesto Represent Palestine for an Exhibition on British Rule, 1917-1948(Lecture) Anne Lineen, freelance curator. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Palestine Studies. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS.

19 Nov History, Orality, Narrative: Writing the Palestinian Nakba(Lecture) Ibrahim Nasrallah. Organised by the Centre for Palestine Studies, the LMEI, the Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies, and the Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, SOAS.

23 Nov Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival presents Funny Arabs by Maysoon Zayid(Performance) Organised by the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival, in partnership with the Centre for Palestine Studies and the Palestinian Embassy.

06 Dec Gaza’s Ordeal in Historical Perspective (Lecture) Jean-Pierre Filiu, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). Organised by the Centre for Palestine Studies and the SOAS Palestine Society.

22 Jan Unfree in Palestine: Registration,Documentation and Movement Restriction (Lecture) Nadia Abu-Zahra, University of Ottawa, and Adah Kay, Cass Business School, City University, London. Organised by the LMEI, the Centre for

Palestine Studies and Pluto Press. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS.

20 Feb The Invention of the Land of Israel (Book Launch) Shlomo Sand, University of Tel Aviv. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Organised by the Centre for Palestine Studies, Verso Books and the SOAS Palestine Society.

19 Mar The Making and Unmaking of a Zionist: A Personal and Political Journey (Lecture) Anthony Lerman, author, and Ghada Karmi, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Palestine Studies.

11-26 Apr Pre Festival Season 2013 LondonPalestine Film Festival Organised by the Palestine Film Foundation and supported by the Centre for Palestine Studies.

3-15 May The 2013 London Palestine Film Festival Organised by the Palestine Film Foundation and supported by the Centre for Palestine Studies.

9 May Reshaping the Palestinian NationalMovement: Idle Dream or Actual Reality? (Lecture) Nadia Hijab, Al-Shabaka. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Palestine Studies.

11 May Palestine and the Moving Image: International Conference (Conference) Organised by the Palestine Film Foundation in association with the Centre for Palestine Studies.

Centre for Palestine Studies

The newly established Centre for Palestine Studies has held a number of high-profile lectures and, in conjunction with the Palestine Film Foundation, a hugely successful international conference on Palestine and the Moving Image. The first event of its kind in the UK, the one-day conference brought together scholars, filmmakers and curators for a series of panels covering a broad range of historic, aesthetic, ethical and political themes related to film on or from Palestine.


PhD Theses on the Middle East Completed at SOAS in 2012-2013

NAME THESIS RESEARCH AREA

Luigi Achilli Does the Political Bore? The Denial and Camouflage of the “Political” in a Palestinian Refugee Camp

AnthropologyResearch


Couchsurfing in Tunisia and Morocco - Hospitality, Friendship and Love

Sonja Buchberger

Igor Cherstich Libyan Secrets: Sufism, Esoterism and the State in the Jamahiriyah


Philippe Bora Keskiner Sultan Ahmed III (r.1703-1730) as a Calligrapher and Patron of Calligraphy

Art & ArchaeologyResearch


Covering the Book: Bindings of the Mamluk Period, 1250-1516 CE

Alison Rosemary Susan Ohta

Sarah Naim Aziz Sabry Urban Poverty in Cairo’s Informal Areas: The Role of NGOs and FBOs

Development StudiesResearch

Samia Al-Botmeh Palestinian Women’s Labour Supply: Towards an Explanation of Low and Fluctuating Female Labour

Force Participation

EconomicsResearch

Linda Matar The Political Economy of Investment: A Historical Examination of Domestic Investment

Behaviour in Syria

EconomicsResearch

GeographyResearch

More than Just a Boundary Dispute: The Regional Geopolitics of Saudi-Yemen Relations

Fadhl Ali Al-Maghafi

Jorg Matthias Determann Globalization, the State, and Narrative Plurality: Historiography in Saudi Arabia

History Research

Melania Savino History ResearchArchaeology and its Representation in the Turkish Republic, 1923-1960

Michael Hadley Talbot British Diplomacy in the Ottoman Empire during the Long Eighteenth Century

History Research

History ResearchImage of a Past World: Depictions of the Late Ottoman Empire in Turkish Autobiographies

Philipp Christian Wirtz

Law Research

Reservations to International Human Rights Treaties, with Special Reference to Muslim States’

Practice of Reservations to the CEDAW - Analytical Study of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and the

United Arab Emirates

Abdulbari Altamini

Rosalind Anne Wade Haddon Fourteenth-Century Fine Glazed Wares Produced in the Iranian World, and Comparisons with

Contemporary Ones from the Golden Hoarde and Mamluk Syria/Egypt


Elif Karacimen Political Economy of Consumer Debt in Developing Countries: Evidence from Turkey

EconomicsResearch

Tammy Elmansoury Spirituality, Islam, and the State: The Origins and Disavowal of Sufism in the Ikhwan al-Muslimin

History Research

Stefano Taglia The Intellectual’s Dilemma: the Writings of Ahmet Riza and Mehmet Sabahettin on Reform and the

Future of the Ottoman Empire

History Research

Media Studies Research

Silent Female Characters in the New Cinema of Turkey: Gender, Nation and the Past

Ozlem Guclu

PhD Theses


Ghazal Saif Blogging: Keyboards Fight Tanks - Counter-Authoritarian Discourses in Egyptian Blogs


Near and Middle East Research

The Tense, Aspect, Mood - Modality System of the Turkish Spoken in Cyprus : A Socio-Linguistic

Perspective

Gokce Yukselen Abdurrazak

Ahmad Sakhr Achtar Contact between Theology, Hermeneutics and Literary Theory: The Role of Majaz in the

Interpretation of Anthropomorphic Verses in the Qur’an from the 2nd AH/8th CE until 7th AH/13th CE


Zeynel Abidin Besleney A Political History of the Circassian Diaspora in Turkey between 1864 and 2011



Framing a Cultural Identity into a Nationalistic Discourse. The Case of the Iranian Jewish

Emigrations to Israel in 1951 and after 1979

Alessandra Cecolin

Henrik Lindberg Hansen The Diversity of Muslim-Christian Dialogue: An Analysis of the Relation between Social and Religious

Affiliation and its Impact on Dialogue in Egypt


Alyn Desmond Hine Russian Literature in the Works of Mikhail Naimy Near and Middle East Research

Benedetta De Alessi The War-to-Peace Transition of the SPLM/A into the SPLM during the Implementation of the

Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Politics Research

Politics ResearchKhomeini’s Discourse of Resistance: The Discourse of Power of the Islamic Revolution

Latife El Reda

Silvia Ferabolli Rethinking the Idea of the Doomed Arab Region Politics Research

Daniel Thomas Myron Large Politics Research‘Fantastic Invasion’: the Politics of International Intervention in Sudan

Linda Tabar Palestine, Dispossession and the “Outside” of Modernity: Memory and the Oppositional

Imaginaries of the Nation

Politics Research

Politics ResearchHegemony, Law, Resistance: Struggles Against Zionism in the State of Israel

Elian Weizman

Paolo D’Urbano Ikhwan Web: Digital Activism and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood


Peter Trevor Godfrey Phillips Bravery and Eloquence: Poetry in the siyar sha’biyah Near and Middle East Research

Sophia Marie Hoffman Politics ResearchDisciplining Movement: State Sovereignty in the Context of Iraqi Migration to Syria

AcknowledgementsIn 2012/13, as in previous years, LMEI entertained ambitious plans for a wide variety of events, academic and cultural. It would have been impossible for the Institute’s small staff to have succeeded in staging all of these without the assistance of many helpers. Thanks must go to all the SOAS staff who have supported the LMEI over the year: the Conference Office, the Caterers, the AV and IT departments, SOAS photographer Glenn Ratcliffe, the Print Room, Post Room and Estates Department. Particular thanks are due to Jane Wood for her assistance with the Institute’s finances.

Valentina Zanardi joined as part-time Administrative Assistant in 2012.

We are also grateful to all the individuals who have volunteered their time, resources and energies to help.

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Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 July 2013 Financial Statem

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Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2012


For details of the Institute’s activities, including lecture programmes, conferences andpublications, and information on how to become an affiliate of the LMEI please contact:

The London Middle East Institute, SOAS, University of London,Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WCIH OXG

Tel: 020 7898 4330 Email: [email protected] Website: www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/

Documents

London Middle East Institute, SOAS · British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) British-Yemeni Society Centre for Supporters of Human Rights Forum Iran LSE Middle East Centre