Description:

Beth Baron, City College CUNY; Maya Mikdashi, Rutgers University; Mejdulene Shomali, University of Maryland Baltimore County; moderated by Jessica Winegar, Northwestern University.

This event brings together an interdisciplinary group of groundbreaking scholars of different generations to discuss how the field of MENA gender studies has shifted since its inception, and where it might be headed. In just 40 years, scholars have gone from fighting to have women even included in Middle East Studies (and Middle East Studies programs) to exploring multiple facets of gender and sexuality as these intersect with state institutions, international movements, cultural production, religious formations, race/ethnicity, and activism--to name only a few areas in this now rich area of inquiry. Participants will draw on their own histories and research to reflect on what have been abiding concerns over the years, as well as the field’s challenges and conundrums. The conversation will also invite perspectives on the future of research on gender related to the Middle East and its diasporas, particularly as it intersects with broader academic and activist conversations on the subject.