Extended deadline: West Asia in the Center
Last year in November, I announced a workshop that I am co-organising called West Asia in the Center. This workshop aims to be an inclusive discussion about the past and present in West Asia and colonialism. We extended the deadline for four more weeks and I encourage you to participate. Here is why.
The workshop
The workshop, as you can read in the Call-for-Papers, is an open and inclusive digital meeting. It aims to break existing patterns of various forms of colonialism related to the past and present of West Asia. We welcome researchers, scholars, students, heritage experts, activists. We welcome anyone with an active interest in dismantling colonialist and orientalist narratives and practices in the past and present of West Asia.
It is our intend to start an open discussion. As young(ish) European archaeologists, we inherited a past of our profession, we are not happy with. We see colonialism still today in excavations, publications, cultural heritage, tourism, …heck, even in video games. While we try to discuss this problem inside of academia (and that means inside of Europe), we feel that this is not enough.
Why it matters
We therefore want to create West Asia in the Center as a place where we all can meet and discuss, whether from Europe, the United States or West Asia. We also want to elevate the discussion outside of academia and include people of all branches like media or tourism to find solutions for a future (especially an inclusive future). It is therefore of upmost importance to us, that we have participants from countries like Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and many more.
This is why we need your help. Please consider sharing this post with people you might think are interested. It can be video game developers from Jordan or documentary filmmakers from the U.S.A. Also a conservationist from Syria or tour guide from Italy is welcome. It can be an archaeologists from Iraq or a human rights activist from Egypt. It doesn’t matter if you are interested in the past, present or future of West Asia.
How to apply
Application is quiet simple and described in the Call-for-Papers, that we offer in English, Arabic, Turkish and Farsi. The conference language will be English, but we will also accept pre-recorded and subtitled lectures in all languages. Write a short summary of what you would like to present (250 words) and send it to the eMail adress indicated in the Call-for-Papers. The new deadline is the 21st of February 2022. I am looking forward hearing from you!
