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College of Humanities and Social Sciences
What is called ‘Middle Eastern Studies’ has been critiqued for a long time because it is viewed to be inimical to the production of meaningful knowledge about the Middle East. But can we do without area knowledge?
In this talk, Dr. Asef Bayat examines not only the pitfalls but also the potential of ‘area studies’, in particular ‘Middle East studies’, both to make sense of the area and contribute to social theory in general.
Moderator:
Dr. Hassan Hakimian,
Professor and Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Department
CHSS
Speaker:
Dr. Asef Bayat,
Professor of Sociology, and the Catherine and Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign