The Middle East Today
Organized by Dr. Nahid Siamdoust
The Middle East Today series was launched in Fall 2022 to attend to current affairs and invite experts in the field to comment on critical political, cultural, social, and economic developments across the Middle East region. The series aims to engage the UT and wider Austin communities in conversations about significant events – often with potential global repercussions – in Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, and Israel-Palestine.
Past Events
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Media Coverage of the War in Gaza
February 1, 2024--With every escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes a media war, with dueling narratives of bias running alongside coverage of actual events. But if Hamas’s Oct 7th assault in southern Israel and Israel’s response in Gaza signal a new phase in this conflict, is the media war different this time too? Andrew Lee Butters, Associate Professor of Journalism and former Time Magazine Beirut Bureau Chief, surveys the state of coverage of the war in Gaza from the perspective of a veteran correspondent of the region and suggests that changes in the media landscape and in the conflict itself could create a permanent new reality in the media war for the Middle East.
Once Again Erdoğan
Once Again Erdoğan: Understanding Turkey’s 2023 Elections
October 16, 2023--Dr. Ayça Alemdaroğlu, the Associate Director of the Program on Turkey at Stanford, and Kim Guiler, a State Department Analyst who specializes in Near East Affairs, dissect the complexities and implications of Turkey's 2023 election results. With a focus on voter behavior, party dynamics, and emerging trends, they explore how these election outcomes could shape Turkey's political and social landscape moving forward. The session offers valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in the evolving political climate of Turkey and the wider region.
Performing Protest in Iran
Performing Protest in Iran: Reflections on Art & Activism
April 3, 2023--When 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed by Iran's religious morality police in September 2022, protests erupted throughout the country. Curiously, many of these protests took on a performative nature. Some women twirled their head scarves while dancing, while other protestors showed their displeasure through rooftop chants at night. As a result of these artistic demonstrations, dissenters often faced arrest, imprisonment, and even execution.
By looking at the art of Iran's recent uprising and other dissident Iranian art forms since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Dr. Pamela Karimi will discuss the role of creativity, performance, and art in contemporary world-making
Israel's New Far-Right Government and the Middle East Conflict
Israel’s New Far-Right Government and the Middle East Conflict
February 28, 2023--Dr. Ahmad Agbaria of UT-Austin discusses the historical and social developments leading to the Israeli elections of 2022, which saw the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Professor Andrew Lee Butters.
"Israel's New Far-Right Government and the Middle East Conflict" was an in-person event only. There is no recording.
Woman, Life, Liberty: The Iran Protests
Woman, Life, Liberty: The Iran Protests
October 24, 2022-- The death-in-custody of 22-year old Mahsa Jina Amini sparked protests throughout Iran. These protests rattled the country and drew solidarity from dozens of women's and feminist groups around the world. In this video, Dr. Nahim Siamdoust offers a talk contextualizing the events in Iran before opening the floor for a discussion with audience members.
