International Conference on Middle Eastern Studies: New actors and issues in the post-Arab uprisings era
Istanbul Gedik University, 12-13 January 2015, Istanbul
Call for papers
The protests that started in December 2010 in Tunisia rapidly spread to other countries of the Middle East and North Africa. As a result of these uprisings, triggered by a search for dignity, welfare and liberty, the authoritarian leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen were successfully overthrown. In Syria, however, a complex civil war continues in which various ethnic, religious, regional and external actors have become involved. As for the other Middle Eastern state regimes, while some have been little influenced by these events, others have violently suppressed domestic insurgencies. No state, however, has remained unaffected by the wave of uprisings, as almost every country in the region has had to deal with issues such as human security, refugees, migration or ethnic/religious conflicts.
In the post-uprisings period, new actors, in particular Kurds and Islamist organizations, have become prominent. Kurds in Syria, having obtained some autonomy in the northern region of Syria called Rojava, have engaged in a war with the Islamic State, which has been expanding its control over territories in both Syria and Iraq by massacring Kurds, Christians and Shiites. These developments have also had an impact on the foreign policies of those regional and Western actors directly or indirectly engaged with issues and developments in the region. Within this new framework, the foreign policies of other countries towards the region have been questioned, which will probably pave the way for new alliances and create new conflicts regarding regional issues.
Based on this perspective, papers exploring the following issues are welcomed:
- Ethnic and religious conflicts
- Migration
- Refugees
- Security
- Violence
- Islamist movements and organizations
- Political and social movements
- Foreign policies towards the Middle East and North Africa
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted as Word documents to the organizers by November 8, 2014. Full papers of 6,000-10,000 words should be sent by March 15, 2015. Please note that we are planning to publish the selected papers in an edited book through a prestigious publishing house.
Conference Fee
The cost for attending the conference is 150 Euros, including registration fee, two lunches and tea-coffee services
Registration deadline
November 29, 2014
Conference Venue
The conference will be held in the Cezayir Meeting Hall, located in the historic building of the Italian Worker’s Society in the city center, Istanbul. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of both Cezayir itself, and nearby Taksim/Beyoðlu.
Please see http://www.cezayir-istanbul.com/en/index-en.html
Accommodation
Participants will benefit from discounted accommodation rates at participating hotels located in the city center. The list of the hotels will be announced soon
Organizers
Abstracts should be sent by email to the editors at either of the following address:
Assist Prof. Dr. Jülide Karakoç
Department of Political Science and Public Administration
Gedik University, Istanbul/ Turkey
julide.karakoc@gedik.edu.tr
or to :
Assist. Prof. Dr. Duygu Ersoy
Department of Political Science and Public Administration
Gedik University, Istanbul/ Turkey
duygu.ersoy@gedik.edu.tr