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Call for Papers (Annual Conference): What does it mean to belong?
Call for Papers (Annual Conference): What does it mean to belong? 17th Jun 2022 In the decade after the Arab Uprisings, the nature of political life has changed dramatically. Amidst shifting lines of inclusion and exclusion cutting across states, sects, tribes and ethnicities, critically reflecting on ideas of belonging is of paramount... Read More
Writing Critical Race Theory into Desectarianization Discourse: Between State Repression and Free Speech in Iraq
Writing Critical Race Theory into Desectarianization Discourse: Between State Repression and Free Speech in Iraq 17th Jun 2022 “In Iraq, talk about muhasassa ta’ifiyya is nothing but a lie. In reality, there is party-based muhasassa under the guise of representation. […] The state is the responsibility of all state institutions—the executive, legislative, and... Read More
Structural Violence in Bahrain: At the Intersection of Sectarianism and Sexism
Structural Violence in Bahrain: At the Intersection of Sectarianism and Sexism 7th Jun 2022 This is an essay produced by Lucia Fernandez Moreno. A version of this was submitted for her degree at Lancaster University. It features art by Mariam Mabrouk, another Lancaster University student.  Since the Arab Uprisings in 2011, much... Read More
Understanding Salafism in Iranian Sunnism 19th May 2022 A special guest blog post by Mansour Anbarmoo. The analysis of sectarian difference in the Middle East emanating from the West has long focused on its impact on political life in divided societies, or its relationship to geopolitical competition in the... Read More
Publications and Activities - May 2022
Publications and Activities - May 2022 13th May 2022 Our Fellows have produced a large number of articles over the past six months and here are some highlights. Haian Dukhan Dukhan, H. (2022) “Tribes at War: The Struggle for Syria”, chapter in “Actors and Dynamics in the Syrian Conflict's Middle Phase... Read More
Securing Sectarian Difference, or: The Failure of Desectarianization in Bahrain? 26th Apr 2022 Chapter 1, Article 1 of the constitution of Bahrain declares that “The Kingdom of Bahrain is a fully sovereign, independent, Islamic Arab State whose population is part of the Arab nation and whose territory is part of great Arab homeland”. Ensuing... Read More
The Hyper-normalisation of Crisis in Lebanon 26th Apr 2022 One of the key motives behind sectarian politics is representation. When sectarianism encroaches on state institutions, representation becomes a euphemistic language for sectarian contentions over state resources. As part of formally ending the civil... Read More
Sacred and Sectarian Games
Sacred and Sectarian Games 6th Apr 2022 "Poor fellow, he’s not a good enough Hindu" […] “where does that leave you and me?” Sartaj said. “I’m not a very good Hindu”[…] “sartaj”, he said, “you’re not even a good Sikh” (Chandra, 2006:77)  In the 2006 novel... Read More
Understanding the nexus between division and solidarity in protest spaces: Reflections from Lebanon’s Tripoli
Understanding the nexus between division and solidarity in protest spaces: Reflections from Lebanon’s Tripoli 20th Jan 2022 Many of the largest and most well-known protest movements in recent history - from Occupy Wall Street to the Egyptian Revolution - have an important thing in common: They remind us about the critical role of urban spaces in contentious politics. Spaces... Read More
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