Contending Visions of the Middle East

This panel will use Zachary Lockman's influential book, Contending Visions of the Middle East: The History and Politics of Orientalism (Cambridge, 2004), as a jumping off point to discuss the ways in which Westerners have examined and depicted Islam and the Middle East. The discussion will also address Lockman's recent publication Field Notes: The Making of Middle East Studies in the US (Stanford, 2016), including the politics, controversies, and critical issues relating to the US and the Middle East. Participants include Lockman (History, NYU), Charles Kurzman (Sociology, UNC), and Adam Mestyan (History, Duke).

This event is sponsored by the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies, Jewish Studies, Cultural Anthropology, the Department of History, and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center. A light lunch will be served.