Centre for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Oslo, Niels Henrik Abels vei 36, Oslo (2026)

23/03/2026

"Islamic Ethics and Wartime Sexual Violence: Responses to Mass R**e and Children Born of R**e in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995)"

CIMS and the Faculty of Theology are pleased to announce a co-organized event featuring a lecture by Ehlimana Memišević.

Time and place: Mar. 27, 2026 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM at Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 5. Blindern Campus.

Responses to Mass R**e and Children Born of R**e in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995)CIMS and the Faculty of Theology are pleased to announce a co-organized event featuring a lecture by Ehlimana Memišević.

03/03/2026

CIMS-seminar "Unpacking Sudan's war" by Prof. Munzoul Assal.
Time and place: March 6th, 2026 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM at Eilert Sundts hus, A- blokka Auditorium 5.

https://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/english/research/center/islamic-and-middle-east-studies/events/thursday-friday-seminar/2026/unpacking-sudan-s-war.html

About the seminar:
Since April 2023 Sudan has been experiencing a devastating war that led to the worst humanitarian situation at the present time. But the war has more to it than fighting between two armies: Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. For the past 70 years, Sudan has been a troubled country, with multiple civil wars and protracted political instability and the current war is the result of deeply rooted injustices, inequalities, identity problems, and marginalization of peripheries. Added to these rooted factors, regional factors and competing geopolitical interests are adding fuel to the war and obstructing efforts to end it, contributing to internal polarization and possible division, yet again, of Sudan. In short, this lecture will unpack the background and complexities for the ongoing war in Sudan.
About the speaker:
Prof. Munzoul Assal is a senior researcher at Christian Michelsens Institute
(CMI) in Bergen. He holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Bergen, Norway. Prior to joining CMI, he was Professor of social anthropology at the University of Khartoum, Director of the Peace Research Institute, and Dean of Scientific Research. He also served as the Director of the Mamoun Beheiry Centre for Economic and Social Studies in Africa (2015-2017). Assal was visiting professor at the University of Paris 8 (2009), the University of Sharjah, UAE (2020-2021). Assal is also Professor II at the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. He has coordinated and led several MFA and NORAD funded projects. Assal was member of the Board of Trustees, the Arab Council for Social Sciences (2015-2023). In 2023 he was voted in as an honorary fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.

All are welcome. Coffee and tea will be served.

Join us for this talk by Prof. Munzoul Assal.

12/02/2026

REMINDER:
Dear friends of CIMS,

We are pleased to host a seminar with Dr Eirik Kvindesland who will speak about “Iran and Israel: Old friends, new enemies”, which is also the title of his most recent book.

Time and place: Friday, February 13th, kl. 12:15-13:30. Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 4 (BL09113).
https://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/english/research/center/islamic-and-middle-east-studies/events/thursday-friday-seminar/2026/iran-and-israel-old-friends-new-enemies.html

About the seminar:
Enmity between Iran and Israel is often taken for granted. In public discourse, the religious identities of the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran seem to explain conflict as inherent and deeply rooted in history. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. In this lecture, Eirik Kvindesland addresses key historical and cultural aspects of Iran-Israel relations, from the 19th to the 21st century, reopening a complex history of mutual fascination, suspicion, collaboration and enmity. This lecture explores the reciprocal gaze of the Iranian and Zionist/Israeli nationalist movements, across changing movements, regimes and governments. While shaped by religion and political ideology, these political understandings are equally driven by practical attempts to manage human migration. Kvindesland explores ideology as shaped by the movement of peoples, be they Jews, Muslims, Iranians or Palestinians, who all tried to live their lives in the lands of Palestine, Israel and Iran.

About the speaker:
Dr. Eirik Kvindesland works at the Institute for Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. He is a post-doctoral researcher in the ERC project "Persianate Jews: Mobility, Community, Memory", researching the transnational history of Persian Jews across Iran and the Middle East. He holds a doctorate in Imperial and Global history from the University of Oxford. His work has appeared in journals like Past & Present and British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Eirik's latest book is titled "Iran and Israel: Old friends, new enemies" (in Norwegian), published in 2025 by Cappelen Damm Akademisk.

All are welcome. Coffee and tea will be served.

We look forward to seeing you next Friday, the 13th!

Warm regards,
Brynjar

We are pleased to welcome you to this seminar talk by Eirik Kvindesland (Austrian Academy of Sciences).

06/02/2026

Seminar with Dr Eirik Kvindesland who will speak about “Iran and Israel: Old friends, new enemies”, which is also the title of his most recent book.

Time and place: Friday, February 13th, kl. 12:15-13:30. Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 4 (BL09113).

https://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/english/research/center/islamic-and-middle-east-studies/events/thursday-friday-seminar/2026/iran-and-israel-old-friends-new-enemies.html

About the seminar:
Enmity between Iran and Israel is often taken for granted. In public discourse, the religious identities of the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran seem to explain conflict as inherent and deeply rooted in history. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. In this lecture, Eirik Kvindesland addresses key historical and cultural aspects of Iran-Israel relations, from the 19th to the 21st century, reopening a complex history of mutual fascination, suspicion, collaboration and enmity. This lecture explores the reciprocal gaze of the Iranian and Zionist/Israeli nationalist movements, across changing movements, regimes and governments. While shaped by religion and political ideology, these political understandings are equally driven by practical attempts to manage human migration. Kvindesland explores ideology as shaped by the movement of peoples, be they Jews, Muslims, Iranians or Palestinians, who all tried to live their lives in the lands of Palestine, Israel and Iran.

About the speaker:
Dr. Eirik Kvindesland works at the Institute for Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. He is a post-doctoral researcher in the ERC project "Persianate Jews: Mobility, Community, Memory", researching the transnational history of Persian Jews across Iran and the Middle East. He holds a doctorate in Imperial and Global history from the University of Oxford. His work has appeared in journals like Past & Present and British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Eirik's latest book is titled "Iran and Israel: Old friends, new enemies" (in Norwegian), published in 2025 by Cappelen Damm Akademisk.

All are welcome. Coffee and tea will be served.

We look forward to seeing you next Friday, the 13th!

Warm regards,
Brynjar

We are pleased to welcome you to this seminar talk by Eirik Kvindesland (Austrian Academy of Sciences).

22/01/2026

A gentle reminder of tomorrow's book launch seminar with Dr Anne Likuski and her brand new masterpiece "Al-Qaida after 9/11: The War on Terror and the Decade of Demise."

At Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 4
Tomorrow January 23rd at 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM.

Join us for a CIMS lecture with Dr. Anne Likuski, senior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI).

19/01/2026

REMINDER:

Dear friends of CIMS,
We are pleased to host a roundtable seminar with Professor Soraya Batmanghelichi and Senior Lecturer Samad Alavi on current events in Iran.
Time and place: Tuesday, Jan. 20th, 2026 12:15 - 13:30 Eilert Sundts hus, A- blokka Auditorium 4 (BL09113).

About the roundtable seminar:
Triggered by a severe economic crisis mass protests have erupted across Iran since the end of December 2025, escalating into widespread anti-government demonstrations across the country. Iranian authorities have responded with a near-total internet blackout, mass arrests, and violent crackdown, reportedly resulting in hundreds of fatalities. The violent suppression has prompted widespread international condemnations, including threats by the United States of a possible intervention. The unrest is described by observers as one of the most consequential challenges to the Islamic Republic in recent years.
To help us better understand the current crisis in Iran, Center for Islamic and Middle East Studies will host a roundtable seminar with two faculty members at IKOS, to share their views and reflections on the evolving situation in Iran. Professor Soraya Batmanghelichi will discuss the impact of these social revolutionary moments for key stakeholders in Iran's political and clerical establishment and civil society actors. Senior Lecturer Samad Alavi will give an overview of the Iranian opposition movement at this crucial moment in history with special attention to the protestors’ current demands and their coverage in Persian language media.

About the speakers:
Dr. Batmanghelichi is a professor of Modern Iranian Studies at IKOS. Her research focused on contemporary women's movements, sexuality, and gendered public space in Iran and the modern Middle East.
Dr. Alavi is a Senior Lecturer at IKOS and teaches Persian language. His research focuses on modern Persian literary cultures, especially political and aesthetic debates among the generations of poets who participated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

All are welcome. Coffee and tea will be served.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow Tuesday, the 20th!

Warm regards,
Brynjar Lia
Director of Centre for Islamic and Middle East Studies at IKOS, UiO.

Join us for a CIMS roundtable seminar with Professor Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi and Senior Lecturer Samad Josef Alavi, both from Middle East Studies at IKOS.

15/01/2026

Seminar on Current Events in Iran:
Join us for a CIMS roundtable seminar with Professor Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi and Senior Lecturer Samad Josef Alavi, both from Middle East Studies at IKOS.

Time and place: Jan. 20, 2026 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM, Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 4 (BL09113)

Triggered by a severe economic crisis mass protests have erupted across Iran since the end of December 2025, escalating into widespread anti-government demonstrations across the country. Iranian authorities have responded with a near-total internet blackout, mass arrests, and violent crackdown, reportedly resulting in hundreds of fatalities. The violent suppression has prompted widespread international condemnations, including threats by the United States of a possible intervention. The unrest is described by observers as one of the most consequential challenges to the Islamic Republic in recent years.

To help us better understand the current crisis in Iran, Center for Islamic and Middle East Studies will host a roundtable seminar with two faculty members at IKOS, to share their views and reflections on the evolving situation in Iran. Professor Soraya Batmanghelichi will discuss the impact of these social revolutionary moments for key stakeholders in Iran's political and clerical establishment and civil society actors. Senior Lecturer Samad Alavi will give an overview of the Iranian opposition movement at this crucial moment in history with special attention to the protestors’ current demands and their coverage in Persian language media.

About the speakers:
Dr. Batmanghelichi is a professor of Modern Iranian Studies at IKOS. Her research focused on contemporary women's movements, sexuality, and gendered public space in Iran and the modern Middle East.

Dr. Alavi is a Senior Lecturer at IKOS and teaches Persian language. His research focuses on modern Persian literary cultures, especially political and aesthetic debates among the generations of poets who participated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Join us for a CIMS roundtable seminar with Professor Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi and Senior Lecturer Samad Josef Alavi, both from Middle East Studies at IKOS.

21/03/2025

Did you miss our event with Jerome Drevon of International Crisis Group last Friday? You can watch the video on NUPI’s YouTube channel:

Jerome Drevon recently published the gripping monograph From Jihad to Politics: How Syrian Jihadis Embraced Politics, offering a rare, in-depth look into con...

Centre for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Oslo

23/03/2026

03/03/2026

12/02/2026

06/02/2026

22/01/2026

19/01/2026

15/01/2026

21/03/2025

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