//podcastplus.net/feed/middle-east-centre~47532ce0 The Middle East Centre, founded in 1957 at St Antony’s College is the centre for the interdisciplinary study of the modern Middle East in the University of Oxford. Centre Fellows teach and conduct research in the humanities and social sciences with direct reference to the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, with particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, during our regular Friday seminar series, attracting a wide audience, our distinguished speakers bring topics to light that touch on contemporary issues. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:01:54 +0000 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2025-09-30-sant-mec-big_tech.mp3 This seminar was delivered at the Middle East Centre on 30 May 2025 by Dr Samer Abdelnour, University of Edinburgh Business School, and Chaired by St Antony’s George Antonius Birzeit Visiting Fellow, Dr Amal Nazzal. This seminar was delivered at the Middle East Centre on 30 May 2025. Dr Samer Abdelnour, University of Edinburgh Business School, addressed the topic of ‘Big Tech and the Automation of Genocide in Gaza’. It was chaired by St Antony’s George Antonius Birzeit Visiting Fellow, Dr Amal Nazzal. Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:59:11 +0000 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2025-09-30-sant-mec-big_tech.mp3 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-09-19-sant-mec-shlaim.mp3 Professor Avi Shlaim gives the George Antonius Memorial Lecture 2023, examining the Jewish exodus from Iraq in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and arguing the Zionist movement played an active part in the uprooting of Iraqi Jews. This annual lecture is also a launch for Avi Shlaim’s new book, 'Three Worlds: Memoir of an Arab-Jew' which will be published by Oneworld on 8 June. The three worlds of the title are Baghdad to the age of 5, Ramat Gan, Israel, 10 to 15, and school in London, 15 to 18. The book uses a family history to tell the bigger story of the Jewish community in Iraq, its rich culture, its integration into Iraqi society, and its contribution to nation-building at various levels. The lecture revolves round the central concept of the Arab-Jew. It examines the circumstances surrounding the Jewish exodus from Iraq in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It challenges the Zionist narrative which claims that antisemitism was the main driver of the exodus. It argues that the Zionist... Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:57:00 +0000 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-09-19-sant-mec-shlaim.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-22-sant-mec-kerslake.mp3 The Director and Fellows of the Middle East Centre, St Antony’s College convened a memorial in honour of Derek Hopwood OBE, Emeritus Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies (1933-2020) and Celia Kerslake, Emeritus Fellow in Turkish (1946-2023). Guest Speakers and times:0:00 - 4:17 Eugene Rogan, Middle East Centre Director (moderator and opening remarks)4:17 - 15:30 Roger Goodman, Warden of St Antony's College15:30 - 21:40 Rosie MacGregor, sister of Celia Kerslake21:40 - 32.33 Michael Willis, Muhammad VI Fellow in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies, tribute to Derek Hopwood32:33 - 42:29 Laurent Mignon, Professor of Turkish, tribute to Celia Kerslake42:29 - 55:20 Linda Schilcher ('69 Antonian), tribute to Derek Hopwood55.20 - 1:12:18 Ahmed Al-Shahi ('65 Antonian), tribute to Derek and Celia1:12:18 - 1:21:43 Dimitris Antoniou ('03 Antonian), student of Celia Kerslake1:21:43 - 1:29:44 Gina Rowland ('85 Antonian), student of Derek HopwoodClosing remarks by Eugene Rogan Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:43:31 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-22-sant-mec-kerslake.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-09-sant-mec-meijer.mp3 Women's Rights Research Seminar where guest speaker, Dr Roel Meijer (Guest Lecturer in Islam Studies, Radboud Universiteit) presents on Women’s movements and citizenship in the Middle East. Citizenship is not often mentioned in relation to women in the Middle East. Mostly women’s movements are analyzed in relation to nationalism, Islamism, law, and civil society. Citizenship, however, predates nationalism and Islamism. Moreover it is broader than law and more fundamental than political or religious ideologies, especially when it comes women’s movements and the sense of rights. Although I will concentrate on Egypt, I want to demonstrate in this talk how concepts of citizenship can help to analyze historical and present women’s movements in the Middle East.Biography: Roel Meijer was previously Associate Professor at Radboud University, Nijmegen) and has co-edited three volumes on citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa and is currently working on a Dutch history of the Middle East and North Afri... Wed, 09 Aug 2023 15:34:58 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-09-sant-mec-meijer.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-09-sant-mec-alhamwi.mp3 Dr Haytham Alhamwi draws on his personal experiences to explain the story of the conflict in Syria. Through his personal story as a previous political prisoner, he starts by describing the situation in Syria before the Arab Spring in 2011, followed by how the Syrian uprising began, and his personal involvement in the non-violent movement. The presentation will cover how Assad’s regime reacted with lethal force to organised movements asking for change. The uprising escalated to a military conflict causing the death of approximately half a million people and the displacement of over half of the population. The presentation will highlight the involvement of different rebel factions (including perceived Jihadists and other terrorist groups) in the Syrian conflict, the heavy military-cum-financial support of the Syrian regime’s allies including Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, and the inadequate action of regional and international actors to support the Syrian uprising and the aspiration of the Syrian people. Final... Wed, 09 Aug 2023 11:20:55 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-09-sant-mec-alhamwi.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-02-sant-mec-almarashi.mp3 This lecture examines the resilience of the Iraqi state and nation before and after the 2003 invasion. Since 1980, Iraq weathered the longest conventional war of the 20th century, the Iran-Iraq War, followed by one of the shortest, the 1991 Gulf War, and the subsequent uprisings that swept through 15 of its 18 provinces, and a decade of sanctions. Since the 2003 war, Iraq has witnessed an occupation, the collapse of its national military, an insurgency, a civil war, the ensuing terrorist statelet of ISIS, which led to genocide against the Yezidi population, an aborted bid for Kurdish independence, a sustained protest movement, a pandemic, and a proxy war between the US and Iran that continues to this day. Iraq has endured despite numerous forecasts of its imminent collapse into three states. Nevertheless, Iraq’s future during the Anthropocene still looks uncertain, and climate change will have uneven effects on the nation from a geographic, generational, and gendered perspective. Biography Ibrahim Al-Marash... Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:51:59 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-08-02-sant-mec-almarashi.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-27-sant-mec-gross.mp3 The Rt Hon Sir Peter Gross (Formerly, Lead Judge for International Relations) shares his insight into the Judicial and Rule of Law developments in Iraq. Abstract: IRAQ 2018-2019: The Rule of Law: a perspectiveAt the invitation of the President of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, Chief Justice Dr Faiq Zidan, and supported by the FCDO, I visited Iraq in early 2018 and again in 2019, on each occasion to attend the Iraqi Judiciary Day. The visits embodied the success of peer-to-peer Judicial Engagement.Short stays can only present snapshots, but these timely visits (as Iraq was emerging from its Ba’thist past under Saddam) symbolised a wider and enduring yearning for the Rule of Law, together with the good governance it underpins. For my part, it entailed a combination of both pride and humility in the honour the visits accorded to the UK Judiciary.The visits generated mutual benefits. They affirmed the UK as the Iraqi Judiciary’s international partner of choice. On the Iraqi side, they assisted in boost... Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:56:48 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-27-sant-mec-gross.mp3 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-10-sant-mec-braut-hegghammer.mp3 Why did Iraq fail to prove its WMD absence before the 2003 invasion? This seminar examines new evidence from Iraq and United Nations sources to shed light on the internal debates leading up to the 2003 war. Why did the Iraqi regime fail to demonstrate it no longer had WMD prior to the 2003 invasion? For the past twenty years, there has been surprisingly little debate about this key question. In this seminar I draw on primary sources that I have collected from Iraqi sources and the United Nations inspectors investigating Iraqi WMD disarmament between the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion. Drawing on this new evidence, I argue that two factors were vital in shaping Iraqi WMD disclosures during the 2002-2003 period. First, a crucial strategic dilemma was that new admissions of past deception would bolster the case for war. Second, the Iraqi regime faced far greater difficulties in ensuring that its subordinates cooperated with the United Nations inspectors, despite the growing threat of war, than was recognize... Tue, 11 Jul 2023 09:03:29 +0000 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-10-sant-mec-braut-hegghammer.mp3 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-10-sant-mec-rudolf.mp3 This talk examines the Shi‘ite political parties linked to Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU) and their influence over the state, exploring their strategies for legitimacy in politics, religion, and society. Despite their modest performance at the ballot box in comparison to the 2018 parliamentary elections, the Shi‘ite political parties associated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU) have remained important brokers with sufficient power to steer the government’s decision-making. Having been recognised as a state-sanctioned paramilitary umbrella since November 2016, the PMU regard themselves as entitled to co-shaping not only the political process, but also the very nature of Iraqi statehood. Their continued leverage over the contested Iraqi state and its institutions raises the question of how such an array of hybrid auxiliary forces has managed to consolidate its position and reap the benefits of its alliance with the country’s ruling elites. To provide an answer, Rudolf will present ... Tue, 11 Jul 2023 09:01:39 +0000 https://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2023-07-10-sant-mec-rudolf.mp3 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2022-05-19-sant-mec-hertzog.mp3 Prof. Esther Hertzog gives a talk on the vulnerable situation of motherhood in the Israeli welfare state. This talk will examine the role of state authorities, especially the welfare system and the courts, in undermining disadvantaged women's motherhood. State authorities undermine mothers' custodial rights over their offspring, especially through the discourse on 'child's wellbeing' and 'parental capability', blaming mothers for physically endangering and neglecting their children. It will be argued that while the formal discourse emphasizes the value of biological motherhood, yet in practice underprivileged mothers' custody over their offspring can be easily expropriated. Single parent mothers are a susceptible group from which babies can be taken away to adoption and their children taken to welfare institutions.The research on 'single parent mothers' ignores the phenomenon of expropriating disadvantaged mothers' parenthood by State authorities as well as the coercive means that are employed in the process.... Thu, 19 May 2022 16:03:42 +0000 http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/sant/middle_east_studies/2022-05-19-sant-mec-hertzog.mp3