“Teaching about the Middle East in the 21st Century” is the theme of a conference Oct. 16-18 at California State University, Fresno that will present research of top international scholars.

Speakers and workshops will share research and teaching about such influences on the contemporary Middle East as art, literature, history, religion, sociology and politics.

The conference, which is aimed at educators and students, is open to the public. It is sponsored by the Middle East Studies Program in the College of Arts and Humanities.

The three-day event begins at 5 p.m. Oct. 16 with a keynote examination of plural beliefs about feminism in Islamic culture by Dr. Haleh Afshar, a professor of politics and women’s studies at the University of York in England.

The other keynote speaker is Dr. Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan and president of the Global Americana Institute. He will discuss “Making Iraq Understandable” at 5 p.m. Oct. 17. His presentation will be followed by a dinner on campus.

Afshar, Cole, Dr. Eric Hooglund, a visiting professor of politics at Bates College in Maine, and Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh, an economics professor at Fresno State, will participate in the plenary session discussion of “What the Future Has in Store for the Middle East.” It is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 18 and will be moderated by Dr. Afshin Matin-Asgari, a history professor at California State University, Los Angeles.

Other sessions Oct. 17 and 18 will examine such topics as visual and performance arts, language and literature, the Palestinian diaspora, minorities in the Middle East, history’s impact on the region today, comparative religions and teaching the subject. Musical entertainment and an art exhibit are scheduled in the evenings.

Professors from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bethlehem University, American University, Cornell, Hofstra, West Chester (Pa.) University, University of Georgia, University of Sydney (Australia) and the University of Washington will participate. They will be joined by scholars from numerous California universities.

The conference at Fresno State is the first of its kind in the 23-campus California State University system, said Fayazmanesh, the conference program chair. “While the emphasis is on pedagogy, the conference presents a diverse and comprehensive representation of major topics related to the contemporary Middle East,” Fayazmanesh said.

He added, “The conference also aims to create a network for scholars in Middle East studies to engage in dialogue, interact with colleagues and collaborate in scholarship and teaching.”

Conference registration fees range from $50 (before Sept. 1) to $100 (at the door). For information and reservations see
www.csufresno.edu/mesp/news_events/me_conference/index.shtml