Ph.D. Seminar in Middle Eastern Studies

The Ph.D. seminar (previously Ph.D. School) in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Bergen is now attached to the Research Group on Middle East and Africa at the AHKR Department, but will continue with the same scope (Middle East in all fields of the humanities and social sciences) and activities as before. The Ph.D. seminar proper will consist of three main activities in 2008: A series of Ph.D. seminars (project/dissertation seminars) and informal communal lunches at regular intervals, and an intensive seminar towards the end of the calendar year. Additionally, Ph.D. students are invited to take part in the Research Seminar of the Departmental research group, as well as in the various relevant sub-groups related to our fields, such as the "Modern Conceptions of Islam group" (discussion of readings on recent interpretations of the Islam) and the "Qur'an reading group" (discussing the Arabic text and translations of selected verses, as well as commentaries on them), organized by Mona Farstad of AHKR, contact her for further detail.

Below is a list of activities within or related to the Ph.D. seminar in the spring of 2008. Activities specifically set aside for Ph.D. students are marked in boldface.

Program, Spring 2008

• 27 February: Qur'an reading group
        PC Room, Øysteins gt. 3
  
  
• 5 March: Research Seminar, Anne Bang: "Global Cities"
       Seminarrom 2, Øysteinsgt. 3 [3. floor]
  
  
• 12 March: Modern Conceptions of Islam group
        Grønne rommet
  
  
• 13 March: Communal ph.d. lunch
        Grønne rommet
  
  
• 26 March: Qur'an reading group
        PC Room, Øysteins gt. 3
  
  
• 1 April: Ph.D.-Seminar: Marit Vambheim
        Seminarrom 2
  
  
• 2 April: Modern Conceptions of Islam group
        Grønne rommet
  
  
• 8 April: Guest lecture, Annette Haaber Ihle: "Islam, Madrassa and Citizenship in Ghana".
        Seminarrom, SMI
  
  
• 15 April: Research Seminar, Henriette Hafsaas, "The Kingdom of Kush - A Centre on the Periphery of the Bronze Age World System in Afro-Eurasia".
        Seminarrom 2
  
  
• 21 April: Guest lecture, Terence Walz: "Habasha, Sudaniyin, Barabra and Takarna: African Slaves and Freedmen/Women in Cairo as Reflected in the 1848 Census".
        Seminarrom 2
  
  
• 22 April: Guest lecture, Terence Walz: "Egyptian and Sudanese Merchants and Traders in Cairo and Asyut in the mid 19th century".
        Seminarrom 2
  
  
• 29 April: Communal ph.d. lunch
        Grønne rommet
  
  
• 30 April: Qur'an reading group
        PC Room, Øysteins gt. 3,
  
  
• 7-22 May: Global Moments in the Levant: Concluding workshops
        Seminarrom, SMI (for participating scholars)
  
  
• 20 May: Modern Conceptions of Islam group
        Grønne rommet
  
  
• 23-24 May: Seminar, "Power and Powerlessness: Religious Minorities in the Middle East"
        Chr. Michelsens Institute (open to the public: Friday afternoon session)
  
  
• 26 May: Guest Lecture, Yann Richard, "The 1921 coup d'Etat in Iran and its echo in Persian historiography"
        Seminarrom, SMI
  
  
• 26 May: Guest Lecture, Elisabeth Picard, "Lebanon - from Civil War to Crisis"
        Chr. Michelsens Institute
  
  
• 2-8 June: Nordic Ph.D.-seminar in Egypt, "New Arabic Media / How are our sources created?"

• 6 March: AHKR department lunch, Randi Håland: "Lokale funn i global kontekst; fra Nildalen og Afrika til Levanten og India"
        Seminarrom 1
  
  
• 10 April: AHKR department lunch, Inger Marie Okkenhaug and Karina Hestad Skeie: "Misjon som transnasjonal mobilisering, 1860-1960"
        Seminarrom 1

Previous activities

• Ph.D. lunches
• Ph.D. Seminar, Solstrand, December

• Ph.D. lunches
• National Ph.D. course: "Conceptions of Islam"
• Ph.D. Seminar, Solstrand, December 2007