Schedule

Research Panel: Migrations and Diasporas

11:30am - 1:00pm, Stamm (West)

• Morgen Kaufman, “Sounds of Nostalgia: Music, Gender, and Migration in the Iranian American Diaspora”
• Lucas Forshee, “Emigration and Its Effects on Kabyle Society”

• Shelby Castro, “The Consequences of Brain Drain in Morocco”

Keynote: Transcending Catastrophes: Transformations of Palestinian Identities since the First Intifada with Dr. Loren D. Lybarger

5:00pm - 6:30pm, Council Chamber  

Palestinian identities have undergone profound shifts in response to the collapse of the secular-nationalist Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the failure of the Oslo Peace Process, and the ascendency of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) since the first Intifada. Drawing on more than 25 years of fieldwork in Palestine, Chicago, and Copenhagen among Palestinians across homeland and diaspora settings, this presentation explores the interlocking dynamic of secular-nationalist attenuation and religious (primarily Islamic) revitalization that includes but goes well beyond Hamas. A more nuanced grasp of the question allows us to see how violently displaced peoples like the Palestinians draw on religion and nationalism to create and sustain coherent identities in the face of unrelenting generational catastrophe.

Navigating Assumptions, Privilege, and Identity in MENA-US Mobility: Lived Experiences of IRCO Greater Middle East Center Staff.

4:45pm - 6:15pm, Stamm (West)

This panel explores the nuanced and often overlooked dynamics of assumptions, privilege, and identity within the context of MENA-US mobility, through the lived experiences of staff members at the Greater Middle East Center (GMEC) of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). The staff, who work across a variety of immigrants and refugees’ services, embody diverse identities shaped by their MENA roots/experiences, migration histories, and professional roles. Through this lens, the panel investigates how privilege—originating from ethnicity, nationality, education, and access to resources—affects both their professional interactions with immigrant and refugee populations and their personal experiences navigating the broader structures and dynamics of migration. The panel highlights the complexities of identity formation within the MENA-US mobility experience. The staff’s stories illuminate the shifting boundaries between cultural belonging, professional authority, and the challenges of cross-cultural communication in the institutional and the community contexts.

Research Panel: Expressive Cultures in Circulation

3:30pm - 5:00pm, Albany 218

• Lina Eid, “The Middle East and Black American Music”
• Davis Berry, “Closing the Distance: A Theatrical Response to Orientalism”
• Sophia Riley, “Femininity and Sensuality in Dance Practices of Morocco”
• Elizabeth Hines, “The Mounted Warrior: An Investigation into an Unpublished Coptic Textile Featuring Equestrian Imagery”
  

Light refreshments will be served

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