Dr. Nubar Hovsepian, an Egyptian-born political scientist who teaches at Chapman University in Orange, will headline a panel discussion, “Revolution Egypt: What Happened? What Now?” at 4:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at California State University, Fresno.
The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Alice Peters Auditorium in the University Business Center of the Peters Business Building. Panelists will discuss the events before, during and after the recent uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak and the role played by social media in the regime change.
Fresno State professors in Middle East Studies will join Hovsepian: Drs. A. Sameh El Kharbawy (art and design), Sasan Fayazmanesh (economics) and Randa Jarrar (English). Moderating will be Mark Arax, the journalist and author who holds the Roger Tatarian Chair in Mass Communication and Journalism at Fresno State. A question and answer session will allow audience participation.
Hovsepian is the author of “The War on Lebanon: a Reader” (Olive Branch Press, 2007) and “Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008). He has written numerous articles in such publications as the Journal of Palestine and Arab Studies Quarterly.
El Khrabawy has written articles on Egyptian and Middle Eastern society and cultural politics, as well as the forthcoming books “Cairo: A City Like No Other” and “Ends of Imperium.” He was recently in Egypt and witnessed the remarkable events in Tahrir Square (Cairo) and in Suez City and Alexandria.
Fayazmanesh, an emeritus professor of economics, is the author of “The United States and Iran: Sanctions, Wars and the Policy of Dual Containment” (Routledge, 2008); “Money and Exchange: Folktales and Reality” (Routledge, 2006); and numerous articles on U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Jarrar, a creative writing professor, wrote “A Map of Home” (Other Press 2008/Penguin 2009), which was named one of the best novels of the year by Barnes & Noble. She has written for Ploughshares, the New York Times Magazine, the Progressive and the Oxford American.
There are 15 students enrolled in Fresno State’s Middle East Studies, which offers an interdisciplinary minor and two-year language programs in Arabic and Persian.
The upheaval in Egypt did cancel plans for a university-based trip April 16-24 to study art and architecture. The course was offered through the Study Abroad Program in collaboration with the College of Arts and Humanities.
Parking for the presentation is relaxed in Lot J, just east of the Peters Building (access from Shaw or Barstow avenues via Woodrow Avenue. For more information, call 559.278.3056.
(Copy by University Communications news intern Christy Patron)
