Middle East Institute, SOAS Annual Report 2012/2013 and Financial Report 2011/2012

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 LMEI ORGANISATION AND MEMBERSHIP (2012-13)

Staff of the London Middle East Institute Director: Dr Hassan Hakimian Executive Officer and Company Secretary: Ms Louise Hosking Events and Magazine Coordinator: Mr Vincenzo Paci Administrative Assistant: Ms Valentina Zanardi Coordinating Editor (Middle East in London Magazine): LMEI Board of Trustees Ms Sarah Johnston Designer (Middle East in London Magazine): Prof. Paul Webley (Chair), Director, SOAS Ms Shahla Geramipour Dr John Curtis, British Museum HE Sir Vincent Fean KCVO, HM Consul General to Jerusalem LMEI Advisory Council Prof. Ben Fortna. SOAS Lady Barbara Judge (Chair) Prof. Graham Furniss, SOAS Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, MBI Al Jaber Foundation Mr Alan Jenkins (Founding Patron and Donor of LMEI) Dr Karima Laachir, SOAS Prof. Muhammad Abdel-Haleem, OBE, SOAS Prof. Annabelle Sreberny, SOAS HE Mr Khaled al-Duwaisan GCVO, Ambassador, Embassy of Dr Barbara Zollner, Birkbeck, University of London the State of Kuwait Mrs Haifa Al Kaylani, Arab International Women’s Forum Dr Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, University College of Bahrain Prof. Tony Allan, Geography Department, King’s College Dr Alanoud Alsharekh, LMEI and Fellow, St Antony’s College Mr Farad Azima, Iran Heritage Foundation Mr Stephen Ball, KPMG LMEI Research Associates Dr Noel Brehony, MENAS Associates Ltd Mr Charles Buderi, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan Ms Zeynep Dereli, APCO Worldwide Dr Mohammad Nafissi Prof. Magdy Ishak Hanna, British Egyptian Society Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots HE Mr Mazen Kemal Homoud, Ambassador, Embassy of the Prof. Sami Zubaida Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Mr Alan Jenkins Mr Zaki Nusseibeh SOAS Academic Members Prof. Muhammad Abdel-Haleem Dr Karima Laachir Prof. Gilbert Achcar Dr Mark Laffey DONATIONS, SPONSORSHIP and AFFILIATIONS Dr Fiona Adamson Dr George Lane Dr Arshin Adib-Moghaddam Dr Martin Lau Founding Patron and Donor Dominique Akhoun-Schwarb Dr Christopher Lucas Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, MBI Al Jaber Foundation Prof. Nadje Al-Ali Dr Makeen Makeen Prof. Abdul Hakim Ibrahim Al- Prof. Trevor Marchand Matroudi Dr Thomas Marois Institutional Affiliates Dr Randa Alami Dr Dina Matar Aga Khan University (International) Institute for the Study of Prof. Tony Allan Dr Nima Mina Muslim Civilisations Mr Ahmad Alkhashem Ms Shabnam Mirafzali The Arab-British Centre Prof. Peter Austin Dr Simon Morley Bonyad Jaleh Esfahani Prof. Mashood Baderin Dr Corinna Mullin British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) Prof. Doris Behrens-Abouseif Dr Matthew Nelson British-Yemeni Society Dr Teresa Bernheimer Dr Scott Newton Centre for Supporters of Human Rights Dr Helen Blatherwick Dr Caroline Osella Forum Iran Dr Elisa Cavatorta Dr Wen-chin Ouyang LSE Middle East Centre Prof. William Gervase Dr Dan Plesch Persian Music Club Clarence-Smith Dr Marina Pyrovolaki Petroleum Institute Dr Anna Contadini Dr Elaheh Rostami-Povey Refugee Art & Culture Enterprise Dr Bhavna Dave Mr Mohammad Said Dr Francois de Blois Mr Muaadh Salih Dr George Dedes Dr Ruba Salih Dr Tamar Drukker Prof. Iain Scobbie Ms Sorour Dundon Dr Mustafa Shah Mr Ian Edge Dr Ayman Shihadeh Dr Ayman El-Desouky Prof. Colin Shindler Dr Heather Elgood Dr Amrita Shodhan Dr Nada Elzeer Prof. Nicholas Sims-Williams Dr Johathan Ercanbrack Dr Graham Smith Ms Narguess Farzad Dr Renate Söhnen-Thieme Dr Bassam Fattouh Ms Savitri Sperl Prof. Ben Fortna Dr Stefan Sperl Mr Nick Foster Prof. Annabelle Sreberny Individual Affiliates pay £30 per year, £10 for students, for Dr Nelida Fuccaro Dr Sarah Stewart which they receive an annual subscription to ‘The Middle East Prof. Andrew George Dr Stefano Taglia in London’ magazine, inclusion on e-mail and mailing lists for Dr Hassan Hakimian Dr Hanan Toukan Dr Marlé Hammond Prof. Charles Tripp notification of upcoming events, and special rates for LMEI Dr Adam Hanieh Dr Anicee Van Engeland conferences and publications. Dr Jane Harrigan Mr Frans van Koppen Dr Jan-Peter Hartung Dr Leslie Vinjamuri Institutional Affiliation is £250 per year. Institutional Affiliates Prof. Brian George Hewitt Dr Gabriele vom Bruck are entitled to the same benefits as Individual Affiliates, please Prof. Catherine Hezser Mr Burzine Waghmar see below, along with the free use of a room at SOAS for an Dr Doreen Hinchcliffe Dr Yair Wallach event lasting up to two hours, and up to four copies of each Prof. Almut Hintze Dr Mark Weeden edition of the magazine. They will also be acknowledged in LMEI Dr Konrad Hirschler Dr Lynn Welchman Dr Steve Hopgood Dr Myriam Wissa publicity material, including the website: www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/. Dr Erica Hunter Dr Abigail Wood Prof. Bruce Ingham Prof. Owen Wright Corporate Sponsorship is £1,500 per year. Benefits include Dr Salwa Ismail Dr Katharine Zebiri those enjoyed by Institutional Affiliates, please see below, Prof. Massoud Karshenas Dr Cosimo Zene together with up to two tailored private briefings per year, free Prof. Hugh Kennedy Dr Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad copies of LMEI occasional papers, and special advertising rates Dr Laleh Khalili Ms Rafeef Ziadah with the LMEI. Prof. Geoffrey King The aim of the LMEI, through education and research, is to promote knowledge of all aspects of the Middle East including its complexities, problems, achievements and assets, both among the general public and with those who have special interest in the region.

In this task it will build on two essential assets. First, it is based in London, a city which has unrivalled contemporary and historical connections and communications with the Middle East: political, social, cultural, commercial, scientific and educational. Secondly, the LMEI is at SOAS, the only tertiary educational institution in the world whose explicit purpose is to provide training and scholarship on the whole Middle East from prehistory until today.

Director’s Letter 3 Publications 4 Lectures, Seminars and Other Events 6 LMEI Centres and Summer School 9 PhD Theses on the Middle East 12 Acknowledgements 13 Financial Statement 14

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 2 ,,

Last year was another extremely busy year for us at the London Middle East Institute.

With major events sweeping the region throughout 2012/13, our role and mission proved ever more important: ‘to advance knowledge and understanding of the Middle East among both the general public and for those with a specialist interest in the region’.

The initiatives in this report – a mixture of old and new – are a testament to the range and diversity of LMEI’s interests as well as the high quality of regional expertise, from inside and outside SOAS, on which we draw. As always, we continued with our well-established and ongoing programmes and at same time introduced an excellent range of pioneering initiatives. These included four very high-profile conferences: ‘Education in Egypt’ (with the British Egyptian Society, in September 2012), ‘The Future of Yemen’ (with the British Yemeni Society, in January 2013), ‘The Second International Conference

Director’s Letter Director’s on the Iranian Economy’ (in Istanbul, June 2013), and finally a ground-breaking conference on ‘The Contemporary Art in the Middle East’ (in July 2013).

Our two sub-centres – The Centre for Iranian Studies and The Centre for Palestine Studies – have continued to provide a clear academic identity and focus for their respective constituencies and have helped galvanise much energy and interest in these fields, as evidenced by various events reported in this volume.

Likewise, our flagship magazine, The Middle East in London, continues as a cornerstone of our outreach activities, attracting much interest. Exciting and new programmes have not prevented us from attending to our longer-term and continuing interests and commitments. You will get a sense of our other busy schedules throughout the year by glancing through this report: from our regular lecture series on the contemporary Middle East to various occasional lectures, debating panels, cultural events, book launches and, of course, publications.

As the world continues to be fascinated by our region – sometimes apprehensively of course – we remain convinced of the relevance of our mission for both the academic milieu and the wider communities. Hassan,, Hakimian 3 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 Volume 9 - Number 5 October – November 2013 The Middle East in London (MEL) £4 | €5 | US$6.5

The past year has been action packed for The Middle East in

London, LMEI’s bi-monthly magazine. The uprisings in the region Publications and the changes they have prompted have permeated a number of issues and articles. The magazine continues to cover a wide range of topics including art, economics, politics, exhibitions, food and media while the extensive reviews and events section gives an overview of the many Middle East related events going on in London. This year, there have been in-depth features on the Kurds, protest, media, Saudi Arabia and religious minorities, featuring insightful and informative pieces from members of the academic community and the wider Middle Eastern community in London. Highlights have included interviews with Hoda al- Helaissi, one of the first women to sit on the Majlis ash-Shura in Saudi Arabia and Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of London- based newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.

In November 2012, the board said ‘thank you and goodbye’ to the magazine’s Coordinating Editor, Rhiannon Edwards, who edited THIS ISSUE : CULINARY CONNECTIONS Ɣ Kebab and mezze globalised Ɣ An interview with Claudia Roden Ɣ Coffee then and now Ɣ Water: A drink for some excellent issues over the year she was with the magazine. epicures Ɣ Beekeeping in Britain and Arabia Ɣ Food in Persian poetry Ɣ Sultans of Rome Ɣ Sarah Johnson, a journalist currently working at , PLUS Reviews and events in London has taken her place. The year to come promises to be as exciting as the last one with issues planned on culinary connections, Palestine, Iran and Lebanon.

Members of the LMEI can access the entire contents of the magazine through the website www.lmei.soas.ac.uk.

Volume 9 - Number 2 February – March 2013 £4 | €5 | US$6.5 Editorial Board of The Middle East in London

Prof. Nadje Al-Ali, SOAS Ms Narguess Farzad, SOAS Mr Roger Hardy Ms Nevsal Hughes, Association of European Journalists Volume 9 - Number 4 June – July 2013 £4 | €5 | US$6.5 Mr Najm Jarrah

THIS ISSUE : THE MEDIA Ɣ Seismic shifts in the Middle East Ɣ Politics, petrodollars and the press Ɣ Syria: The media as battleground Ɣ ‘People don’t want to be lied to’ Ɣ Iranian journalism and ‘the land of freedom’Volume Ɣ Leaves 9 - Number of learning 3 Ɣ From Gaza refugee Dr George Joffé, Cambridge University camp to running a London newspaper Ɣ DefyingApril the –odds: May 2013 How one bookshop became London’s base for Arab culture Ɣ A vibrant diaspora £4Ɣ PLUS | €5 | US$6.5 Reviews and events in London

Mr Max Scott, Gilgamesh Publishing

Ms Sarah Searight, British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots, Aga Khan University (International) Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and LMEI Dr Sarah Stewart, SOAS

THIS ISSUE : RELIGIOUS MINORITIES Ɣ Who is Hussain? Ɣ Minorities in North Africa Ɣ Constitutional reform in Egypt and Turkey Ɣ The Assyrian diaspora Ms Ionis Thompson, British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) and in London Ɣ Armenians and the arts Ɣ Zoroastrians in London Ɣ The Bahá’í community in the UK Ɣ Middle Eastern Jews in London Ɣ PLUS Reviews and events in London Saudi-British Society THIS ISSUE : SAUDI ARABIA Ɣ The giant with the feet of clay Ɣ In the shadow of revolutions Ɣ A powerful cultural statement: Dress in Saudi Arabia Ɣ Women appointed to the Majlis Ash-Shura for the first time Ɣ Explorer St. John Philby and his collection of ‘many treasures’ Ɣ Contemporary Saudi Arabian art in London Ɣ Riyadh’s new underground railway Ɣ The international prize for Arabic ¿ ction Ɣ PLUS Reviews and events in London Dr Shelagh Weir, SOAS Prof. Sami Zubaida, Birkbeck College

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 4 The Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa Series Series Editor: Hassan Hakimian, LMEI Published by Routledge

Launched in 2003, the Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa Series is devoted to widening in-depth analysis and understanding of the economic and political dynamics of the region. It has been established as a respected source of academic research and publication for MENA students and scholars who are keen to disseminate their latest research on this area.

The aim of the Series is to publish both specialist and more general titles pertaining to the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa region – broadly defined as including countries from Morocco to Iran. The Series is overseen by an international Editorial Board (see list below) whose members possess a broad range of expertise and areas of specialism.

Submissions from prospective authors are welcomed, and should be sent in the first instance to the series editor ([email protected]). The series is open to single-authored books as well as edited volumes and textbooks. All manuscripts are subject to international standards of peer review.

Editorial Board of The Routledge Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa

Prof. David Cobham, Heriot Watt University Prof. Nu’man Kanafani, University of Copenhagen Prof. Massoud Karshenas, SOAS Prof. Jeffrey B. Nugent, University of Southern California Prof. Jennifer Olmsted, Drew University, New Jersey Prof. Karen Pfeifer, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts Prof. Wassim Shahin, Lebanese American University (LAU) Prof. Sübidey Togan, Centre for International Economics at Bilkent University Dr Jackline Wahba, University of Southampton

Recent Titles: Economic and Trade Policies in the Arab World: Employment, Poverty Reduction and Integration

Edited by Mahmoud Elkhafif, Sahar Taghdisi-Rad, Mutasim Elagraa

The Arab Spring and the popular uprisings that have taken place in many Arab countries since the end of 2010 have highlighted the urgent need for economic policy reorientation in these countries. Economic and Trade Policies in the Arab World addresses key issues relevant to the contemporary economic realities of the Arab economies including policy space, more productive and decent employment, social justice and poverty alleviation, regional integration, and the failure of the structural adjustment programmes recommended by the Bretton Woods institutions.

For the full list of titles in the series please visit www.routledge.com/books/series/routledge_political_economy_ of_the_middle_east_and_north_africa_SE0387/

For a full list of LMEI publications contact the Executive Officer at [email protected]

5 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 The following is a list of the broad range of events Turkey

organised by the LMEI, either solely or in partnership Lectures, Seminars and Other Events with other institutions, in the 2012-13 academic year. 12 Oct Arabesk Revisited: Music and Cultural Politics in 21st-Century Turkey Martin Stokes, King’s College London. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series North Africa organised by the LMEI Modern Turkish Studies Programme. 18-19 Sep Education: the Best Investment Sponsored by Nurol Bank. (Two-Day Conference) Organised by the Convened by Benjamin Fortna, SOAS. British Egyptian Society, the LMEI and Cairo University. 02 Nov Patriarchy to Masculinist Restoration: the Changing Faces of Male Dominance in 20 Nov The Muslim Brotherhood’s Civil State with Turkey an Islamic Reference: Democracy Deniz Kandiyoti, SOAS. Part of the ‘Seminars Redefined or Confined? on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for (Lecture) Mariz Tadros, Institute of details. Development Studies, University of Sussex. Chaired by: Ruba Salih, SOAS. 23 Nov The Making of Modern Ankara: Space, Politics and Representation 15 Jan Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the (Symposium) Organised by the Department of Libyan Revolution Architecture at the University of Westminster (Lecture) Ethan Chorin, Berkeley Research in conjunction with SOAS Seminars on Group. Turkey. Part of the LMEI Turkish Studies Programme. Sponsored by Nurol Bank.

25 Jan Protector or Occupier? Current Turkish Cypriot Perceptions of Turkey Rebecca Bryant, LSE. Part of the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for details. Arabian Peninsula 8 Mar The First World War and the Ottoman Empire: The Home-Front Perspective 17 Sep How Alien a Yemeni Am I? Yiğit Akın, College of Charleston/Zentrum (Lecture) Taher Ali Qassim MBE, Public Moderner Orient, Berlin. Part of the ‘Seminars Health Neighbourhood Manager, Liverpool on Turkey’ seminar series, see above for Primary Care Trust. details. Organised by The British Yemeni Society in association with the LMEI. 22 Mar Changing Historical Perceptions in Turkey: The Case of Sultan Abdülhamid II 30 Oct Islam, Gender and Reform in Oman Serkan Yazıcı, Sakarya University. Part of (Lecture) Khalid Al-Azri, Oxford University. the ‘Seminars on Turkey’ seminar series, see Chaired by: Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS. above for details.

11-12 Jan Yemen: Challenges for the Future 21 May State-Nationalisms in the Ottoman Empire, (Two-Day Conference) Organised by The Greece and Turkey British-Yemeni Society (BYS) and the LMEI. (Book Launch) Richard Clogg, Benjamin Fortna, Stefanos Katsikas, Dimitris Kamouzis 05 Feb The Art of Heritage Collection: Traditional and Paraskevas Konortas. Part of the LMEI Dress in Saudi Arabia Turkish Studies Programme. (Lecture) Aisa Martinez, LMEI. Sponsored by Nurol Bank. Chaired by: Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS.

13 Mar The Vulnerabilities of Authoritarian Upgrading in Yemen (Lecture) Larissa Alles, University of St Andrews. Organised by The British-Yemeni Society in association with the LMEI.

29 May The Role of the PDRY in Creating a South Yemeni Identity (Lecture) Noel Brehony. Organised by the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA) in association with the LMEI. Professor Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub speaking at the September 2012 two-day conference on Education: the Best Investment

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 6 Iraq & Syria (Talk/Performance) Organised by Forum Iran in association with LMEI. 11 Dec Occupying Syria under the French Mandate: Insurgency, Space and State 16 Oct Iran Economic Sanctions: Foreign Policy Formation Tool or Weapon of Mass Destruction? (Lecture) Dan Neep, University of Exeter and (Lecture) Hassan Hakimian, LMEI/SOAS. Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL). 30 Oct The London MENA (Middle East & North Chaired by: Charles Tripp, SOAS. Africa) Film Festival @ SOAS (Film) Organised by the London MENA 2 Mar Difficult Transition: Iraq’s Road to (Middle East & North Africa) Film Festival Democracy, 10 Years On (LMFF) in association with the LMEI. (One-Day Conference) Organised by the LMEI and the International Committee to 31 Oct Joseph Pitts: an English Slave in Algiers Support Iraqi Democracy (ICSID). and Arabia and his Contribution to our Knowledge of the Muslim World 23 Mar The Invasion of Iraq: Two Panel (Lecture) Paul Auchterlonie, Institute of Arab Discussions on Art and Politics and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. (Panel Discussion) Organised by Reel Organised by the British Foundation for the Festivals and the LMEI. Study of Arabia (BFSA) in association with the LMEI. 4 Jun Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here - London (Talk/Reading) Beau Beausoleil. 13 Nov Women and the Arab Spring: Feminine Chaired by: Nadje Al-Ali, Centre for Gender Voices in a Time of Transition Studies & the LMEI. (Lecture) Nimah Nawab, writer, lecturer and Organised by the LMEI. activist. Chaired by: Dina Matar, SOAS. 10 Jun Religion and State in Syria - the Sunni Ulama from Coup to Revolution 04 Dec The Sudanese Breadbasket: Land and (Book Launch) Thomas Pierret. Water Grabs by Middle Eastern Economies Chaired by: Charles Tripp, SOAS. Tony Allan, KCL & SOAS, Eckart Woertz, Princeton & Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, Harry Verhoeven, Oxford University and Martin Keulertz, KCL.

05 Dec The Hadassah and Daniel Khalili Memorial Lecture in Islamic Art and Culture: The Painted Ceilings of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo (Lecture) Jeremy Johns, Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East, . Chaired by: Doris Behrens-Abouseif, SOAS. Organised by the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS and the LMEI.

14 Dec Book Launch: Shirin Ebadi Left to right: Dr Hassan Hakimian, Dr Cyrus Organised by Forum Iran in association with Ala’i, Professor Paul Webley and Dr Arshin Adib- the LMEI. Moghaddam at the Variations on a Persian Theme: Maps as Messages reception 29 Jan Women’s Perceptions of Access to Justice Other in Iran (Lecture) Sahar Maranlou, University of 23 Sep Mehregan Festival at SOAS Warwick. (Talk/Performance) Namdar Baghayi, Chaired by: Ziba Mir-Hosseini, SOAS. Shahrokh Vafadari, Mahmoud Kavir, Manouchehr Javaher Kalam and Maziar 10-15 Jan Yarshater Lecture Series - Images and Sadri. Decoration in the Persianate World Organised by the Poetry and Music Chamber Four lectures by Yves Porter, University of of Iranians in the UK and the Ferdowsi Trust Aix-Marseille, France. in association with the LMEI. Organised by the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS and the LMEI 6 Oct Dowlatabadi’s Special Night

7 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 10 Jan The Making of Persian Paintings (14th- 1 Jun A Review of the Performance of the 16th centuries) Feminist Movement in Iran after the Revolution of 1979 11 Jan Poetical Iconography on Persian Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ceramics (end 12th-early 14th centuries) 2003 Organised by the Centre for Supporters of 14 Jan Use and Re-use of Persian Tiles Human Rights. Hosted by LMEI. 15 Jan Glazed Tiles in the Indian Sultanates 18-19 Jun Ivory Trade and Exchange in Late 19 Jan Poetry, Satire, Music, Dance - Announcing Antiquity and Early Islam the Winners of the Jaleh Esfahani Poetry (Two-Day Colloquium) Organised by the Prize Department of the Languages and Cultures (Performance) Haroon Yousofi, Mahalat of the Near and Middle East, SOAS with Ajam and Flamenco South. the support of the LMEI and The Warburg Organised by the Jaleh Esfahani Foundation Institute. Held in association with The in association with the LMEI. Leverhulme Trust.

13-16 Feb Urban Violence in the Middle East: 5 - 6 Jul Regional vis-à-vis Global Discourses: Histories of Place and Event Contemporary Art from the Middle East (Four-Day Conference) Organised by the (Two-Day Conference) Organised by the Department of History, SOAS with the LMEI and sponsored by The Barakat Trust, support of the LMEI and funded by the Goethe Institute, Iran Heritage Foundation, AHRC. Caspian Arts Foundation, Ibraaz, and Shubbak Festival. 19 Feb Iran’s Nuclear Programme: A Surge into Modernity (Lecture) David Patrikarakos, Author and Journalist. Chaired by: Ziba Moshaver.

26 Feb Rags, Tommy-Guns and the King: Palestinians and the Pedagogical Regime, c. 1956. (Lecture) Mezna Qato, St Antony’s College, Oxford. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS. Organised by the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) and the LMEI.

19 Feb Arab Revolutions, Challenges and Prospects (Lecture) Fawwaz Traboulsi. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS.

17 May Revolution by Love: Emerging Arab Youth Voices Left to right: Valentina Zanardi, LMEI, Louise Hosking, (Book Launch) Dala Ghandour; Emna Ben LMEI, Hamid Keshmirshekan, LMEI, Professor James Yedder; Muna Al Bulushi; Samah El Meri. W. Allan, Oxford University, at the Regional vis-à-vis Chaired by: Dina Matar, SOAS. Global Discourses: Contemporary Art from the Middle Organised by Revolution by Love Book East conference reception at the British Museum Committee in association with the LMEI.

Consultancies

7 Feb Iraq Briefing for Mitsubishi Corporation 11-15 Feb Political Islam International (Europe) Briefing with Roger A one-week programme organised by SOAS Hardy REO and the LMEI. Organised by the LMEI.

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 8 Centre for Iranian Studies

The Centre for Iranian Studies has continued to expand its range of activities throughout the past academic year, playing host to a range of cultural events and performance arts. Its monthly film screenings have established a strong following under the remit of Dr Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, senior teaching fellow at the Centre for Media and Film Studies at SOAS, and have introduced a new generation of film goers to Iranian cinema.

The Institutional Partnership Programme (IPP) with the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), consisting of six-monthly Fellowships, has also been particularly successful. The Programme’s second Fellow, Dr Mohammad Maljoo, whose research is focussed upon the oil labour movement in Iran was appointed from January to June 2013, and its third Fellow, Dr Mansour Talebpour, who completed his PhD in International Law at SOAS, is currently conducting his research on the United Nations Security Council and the US Unilateral Sanctions on Iran and international human rights standards. His appointment runs from July to December 2013.

Performance of traditional Persian music at An Evening in Honour of Homa Katouzian

1 Sep Fundraising for the Victims of the 28 Jan Monthly Film Screening: In Search of a Earthquake in Iran (Azerbaijan) Healer & Throw a Stone into the Water Events and activities including musical Two documentaries by Hassan Solhjoo. performances, plays and poetry readings, Followed by a Q&A. film screenings, painting and photography. Chaired by Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

25 Oct Monthly Film Screening: KICK IN IRAN 06 Nov Between Empires: Shah ´Abbas I through Dir Fatima Abdollahyan (2010), 82 mins. the Eyes of Shahjahan Padshah Followed by a Q&A with the director, Fatima (Lecture) Saqib Baburi, former Iran Heritage Abdollahyan, and Fari Bradley, Iranian arts Foundation (IHF) Visiting Fellow. broadcaster. Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies. Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS. 09 Feb The Idea of Iran: From Saljuq Collapse to 16 Nov An Evening in Honour of Homa Katouzian Mongol Conquest Traditional Persian music and talks. (Symposium) The tenth programme in The Idea of Iran annual series. 20 Nov Like Sugar in Milk: Stories of Zoroastrian Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies Migration to the South East of England and the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University (Exhibition) Organised by BandBazi in of Oxford. LMEI Centres and Summer School association with the Centre for Iranian Sponsored by the Soudavar Memorial Studies. Foundation.

22 Nov Monthly Film Screening: 10 + 4 16 Feb A Concert: Rumi’s Spiritual Odyssey Dir Mania Akbari (2007), Iran, 77 mins. Organised by Light of Music in cooperation Followed by a Q&A. with the Centre for Iranian Studies. Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS.

9 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 5 Mar Iran’s Expanding Relations with Latin 15 May The Legal Aspects of Religious Diversity America in Iran (Lecture) Manouchehr Dorraj, Texas Houchang Chehabi, Boston University. Christian University and a Visiting Fellow at Chaired by: Ziba Moshaver. Georgetown’s Center for International and Regional Studies, Doha, Qatar. 22 May Variations on a Persian Theme: Maps as Chaired by: Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS. Messages Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for (Talk/Presentation) Cyrus Ala’i, Peter Barber Iranian Studies. and Francis Herbert. Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies 6 Mar Women and the ‘Arab Spring’: Lessons and the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF). from Iran? (Lecture) Haideh Moghissi, Professor and 18 Jun The Political Agency of Oil Labour in Post- Trudeau Fellow, Department of Equity revolutionary Iran Studies, York University, Toronto. (Lecture) Mohammad Maljoo, Iran Heritage Organised by the Department for Foundation (IHF) Visiting Fellow at the Development Studies, SOAS and supported Centre for Iranian Studies. by the Centre for Iranian Studies and the LMEI. 20 Jun Monthly Film Screening: Reza Ghassemi - A Documentary by Mohammad Abdi 10 Mar A Celebration of the Life & Work of Documentary on the Iranian author, Reza Maestro Homayoun Khoram - A Musical Ghassemi. Followed by a Q&A with the Tribute director. (Concert) Organised by the Centre for Iranian Studies with the support of the Iran Heritage 24-25 Jun IIEA - Second International Conference Foundation (IHF), BARAX promotions and on the Iranian Economy the British Iranian Business Association (Two-Day Conference) Organised by the (BIBA). International Iranian Economic Association (IIEA) and LMEI. 18 Mar Monthly Film Screening: My Tehran for Sale 20 Aug Off the Curtain: A Performance of Rostam Dir Granaz Mousavi (2009). Followed by a and Sohrab Q&A with the director. (Performance) Organised by Sara Chaired by: Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS. Mashayekh in association with the Centre for Iranian Studies. 23 Mar A Musical Celebration of Nowruz with Persian, Kurdish and Azari Music (Concert)

Summer School

The LMEI introduced its first Middle East Summer School in 2013 which included two popular SOAS courses: an Arabic Language Course (at introductory or intermediate level) and another on ‘Government and Politics of the Middle East’.

The intensive five-week pilot programme was hailed a success by the participants and has been established as part of the SOAS Summer School portfolio. Twelve students from Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Far East successfully completed the Summer School, the majority experiencing life at SOAS for the first time.

Comments from students included:

‘The timing, setting and focus were very attractive… the mix of students was a plus, what more could have been expected.’

‘It was a very instructive course… I have an overall better view of the situation in the Middle East. I hope to come [back] to SOAS soon … and due to this experience I am really looking forward to it.’

LMEI Summer School students 2013

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 10 Centre for Palestine Studies

The newly established Centre for Palestine Studies has held a number of high-profile lectures and, in conjunction with the Palestine Film Foundation, a hugely successful international conference on Palestine and the Moving Image. The first event of its kind in the UK, the one-day conference brought together scholars, filmmakers and curators for a series of panels covering a broad range of historic, aesthetic, ethical and political themes related to film on or from Palestine.

9 Oct Palestine Now: Writers Respond Palestine Studies and Pluto Press. (Panel Discussion) Rachel Shabi, author, Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Selma Dabbagh, author, Miranda Pennell, activist and film-maker, and Naomi Foyle, 20 Feb The Invention of the Land of Israel British Writers in Support of Palestine. (Book Launch) Shlomo Sand, University of Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Tel Aviv. Palestine Studies. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Chaired by: Bidisha, journalist for the Organised by the Centre for Palestine Guardian, the Observer, the FT and the New Studies, Verso Books and the SOAS Statesman. Palestine Society.

23 Oct Visualising Palestine - Selecting Images 19 Mar The Making and Unmaking of a Zionist: A to Represent Palestine for an Exhibition Personal and Political Journey on British Rule, 1917-1948 (Lecture) Anthony Lerman, author, and (Lecture) Anne Lineen, freelance curator. Ghada Karmi, Institute of Arab and Islamic Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Studies, University of Exeter. Palestine Studies. Chaired by: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS. Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for Palestine Studies. 19 Nov History, Orality, Narrative: Writing the Palestinian Nakba 11-26 Apr Pre Festival Season 2013 London (Lecture) Ibrahim Nasrallah. Palestine Film Festival Organised by the Centre for Palestine Organised by the Palestine Film Foundation Studies, the LMEI, the Centre for Cultural, and supported by the Centre for Palestine Literary and Postcolonial Studies, and the Studies. Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, SOAS. 3-15 May The 2013 London Palestine Film Festival Organised by the Palestine Film Foundation 23 Nov Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival presents and supported by the Centre for Palestine Funny Arabs by Maysoon Zayid Studies. (Performance) Organised by the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival, in partnership with 9 May Reshaping the Palestinian National the Centre for Palestine Studies and the Movement: Idle Dream or Actual Reality? Palestinian Embassy. (Lecture) Nadia Hijab, Al-Shabaka. Chaired by: Adam Hanieh, SOAS. 06 Dec Gaza’s Ordeal in Historical Perspective Organised by the LMEI and the Centre for (Lecture) Jean-Pierre Filiu, Paris School of Palestine Studies. International Affairs (PSIA). Organised by the Centre for Palestine 11 May Palestine and the Moving Image: Studies and the SOAS Palestine Society. International Conference (Conference) Organised by the Palestine 22 Jan Unfree in Palestine: Registration, Film Foundation in association with the Documentation and Movement Restriction Centre for Palestine Studies. (Lecture) Nadia Abu-Zahra, University of Ottawa, and Adah Kay, Cass Business School, City University, London. Organised by the LMEI, the Centre for

11 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 PhD Theses on the Middle East Completed at SOAS in 2012-2013 PhD Theses

NAME THESIS RESEARCH AREA

Luigi Achilli Does the Political Bore? The Denial and Camouflage Anthropology of the “Political” in a Palestinian Refugee Camp Research Sonja Buchberger Couchsurfing in Tunisia and Morocco - Hospitality, Anthropology Friendship and Love Research Igor Cherstich Libyan Secrets: Sufism, Esoterism and the State Anthropology in the Jamahiriyah Research

Rosalind Anne Wade Haddon Fourteenth-Century Fine Glazed Wares Produced Art & Archaeology in the Iranian World, and Comparisons with Research Contemporary Ones from the Golden Hoarde and Mamluk Syria/Egypt Philippe Bora Keskiner Sultan Ahmed III (r.1703-1730) as a Calligrapher Art & Archaeology and Patron of Calligraphy Research Alison Rosemary Susan Ohta Covering the Book: Bindings of the Mamluk Art & Archaeology Period, 1250-1516 CE Research

Sarah Naim Aziz Sabry Urban Poverty in Cairo’s Informal Areas: The Role of Development Studies NGOs and FBOs Research

Samia Al-Botmeh Palestinian Women’s Labour Supply: Towards an Economics Explanation of Low and Fluctuating Female Labour Research Force Participation

Elif Karacimen Political Economy of Consumer Debt in Economics Developing Countries: Evidence from Turkey Research

Linda Matar The Political Economy of Investment: A Economics Historical Examination of Domestic Investment Research Behaviour in Syria

Fadhl Ali Al-Maghafi More than Just a Boundary Dispute: The Regional Geography Geopolitics of Saudi-Yemen Relations Research

Jorg Matthias Determann Globalization, the State, and Narrative Plurality: History Research Historiography in Saudi Arabia

Tammy Elmansoury Spirituality, Islam, and the State: The Origins and History Research Disavowal of Sufism in the Ikhwan al-Muslimin

Melania SavinoArchaeology and its Representation in the History Research Turkish Republic, 1923-1960

Stefano Taglia The Intellectual’s Dilemma: the Writings of Ahmet History Research Riza and Mehmet Sabahettin on Reform and the Future of the Ottoman Empire

Michael Hadley Talbot British Diplomacy in the Ottoman Empire during the History Research Long Eighteenth Century

Philipp Christian Wirtz Image of a Past World: Depictions of the Late History Research Ottoman Empire in Turkish Autobiographies

Abdulbari Altamini Reservations to International Human Rights Law Treaties, with Special Reference to Muslim States’ Research Practice of Reservations to the CEDAW - Analytical Study of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and the Ozlem Guclu Silent Female Characters in the New Cinema Media Studies of Turkey: Gender, Nation and the Past Research

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 12 Paolo D’Urbano Ikhwan Web: Digital Activism and the Egyptian Media Studies Muslim Brotherhood Research Ghazal Saif Blogging: Keyboards Fight Tanks - Counter- Media Studies Authoritarian Discourses in Egyptian Blogs Research Gokce Yukselen Abdurrazak The Tense, Aspect, Mood - Modality System of Near and Middle the Turkish Spoken in Cyprus : A Socio-Linguistic East Research Perspective Ahmad Sakhr Achtar Contact between Theology, Hermeneutics Near and Middle and Literary Theory: The Role of Majaz in the East Research Interpretation of Anthropomorphic Verses in the Qur’an from the 2nd AH/8th CE until 7th AH/13th CE

Zeynel Abidin Besleney A Political History of the Circassian Diaspora in Near and Middle Turkey between 1864 and 2011 East Research Alessandra Cecolin Framing a Cultural Identity into a Nationalistic Near and Middle Discourse. The Case of the Iranian Jewish East Research Emigrations to Israel in 1951 and after 1979

Henrik Lindberg Hansen The Diversity of Muslim-Christian Dialogue: An Near and Middle Analysis of the Relation between Social and Religious East Research Affiliation and its Impact on Dialogue in Egypt

Alyn Desmond Hine Russian Literature in the Works of Mikhail Naimy Near and Middle East Research

Peter Trevor Godfrey Phillips Bravery and Eloquence: Poetry in the siyar sha’biyah Near and Middle East Research Benedetta De Alessi The War-to-Peace Transition of the SPLM/A Politics into the SPLM during the Implementation of the Research Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement Acknowledgements Latife El Reda Khomeini’s Discourse of Resistance: The Discourse Politics Research of Power of the Islamic Revolution

Silvia Ferabolli Rethinking the Idea of the Doomed Arab Region Politics Research

Sophia Marie HoffmanDisciplining Movement: State Sovereignty in the Politics Research Context of Iraqi Migration to Syria

Daniel Thomas Myron Large‘Fantastic Invasion’: the Politics of International Politics Research Intervention in Sudan

Linda Tabar Palestine, Dispossession and the “Outside” Politics Research of Modernity: Memory and the Oppositional Imaginaries of the Nation

Elian Weizman Hegemony, Law, Resistance: Struggles Politics Research Against Zionism in the State of Israel

Acknowledgements

In 2012/13, as in previous years, LMEI entertained ambitious plans for a wide variety of events, academic and cultural. It would have been impossible for the Institute’s small staff to have succeeded in staging all of these without the assistance of many helpers. Thanks must go to all the SOAS staff who have supported the LMEI over the year: the Conference Office, the Caterers, the AV and IT departments, SOAS photographer Glenn Ratcliffe, the Print Room, Post Room and Estates Department. Particular thanks are due to Jane Wood for her assistance with the Institute’s finances.

Valentina Zanardi joined as part-time Administrative Assistant in 2012.

We are also grateful to all the individuals who have volunteered their time, resources and energies to help.

13 LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account)

for the year ended 31 July 2013 Financial Statement

Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2012

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 14 For details of the Institute’s activities, including lecture programmes, conferences and publications, and information on how to become an affiliate of the LMEI please contact: The London Middle East Institute, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WCIH OXG Tel: 020 7898 4330 Email: [email protected] Website: www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/

LMEI ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013