Middle East Studies Program - UW Madison

04/23/2026

Here's an article about our annual conference last week:

04/22/2026

Our annual Middle East Studies conference last Friday was a great success! Wonderful crowd, fascinating speaker presentations, and delicious food for both breakfast and lunch! Thanks so much for all who participated. For the full lineup of speakers: https://shorturl.at/yqUrK Stay tuned for our fall lecture series!

04/16/2026

04/14/2026

📣 Join us for a Teach-In: Roots and Realities of the War in the Middle East
🗓 Friday, April 24 | ⏰ 4:00–5:30 PM
📍 Rm 1125, DeLuca Biochem Bldg (420 Henry Mall)

Hear from expert scholars on Israel/Palestine, Iran, diaspora politics, human rights, and more.

🎤 Featuring: Lisa Bhungalia, Marwa Shalaby, Asef Bayat, Sara Ostad Rahimi, Ervand Abrahamian, Kathy Kelly & Alexandra Huneeus

🍪 Free cookies, coffee & lemonade!
🔗 RSVP: https://forms.gle/jP9MYx9DMvvk9MgN6

Co-sponsored by Havens-Wright Center, Middle East Studies Program & Human Rights Program

04/14/2026

MESP CONFERENCE SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT:

People Smuggling in the Sahara-Sahel and the Maghreb" with Ilyssa Yahmi, Assistant Professor (American University of Paris)

How do migration policies reshape the balance of power between national security forces and foreign military cooperation? This talk explores the criminalization of human smuggling in the Sahara-Sahel, focusing on Mauritania and Senegal. Ilyssa Yahmi argues that externally-sponsored migration controls have created a “rent-seeking” economy for smugglers and entrepreneurs of insecurity. By analyzing fieldwork from the region, she examines how “transit” states strengthen military units to meet international expectations regarding the migration-terrorism nexus, often at the expense of citizens’ rights and traditional mobility.

For more information about our annual conference on April 17, including the speaker lineup and to register, go to: https://shorturl.at/cpDPl

04/13/2026

Experience a truly one-of-a-kind immigrant story at the Wisconsin Film Festival! Join us for a special screening of “Bouchra,” a visually stunning and emotionally raw film that defies traditional genre boundaries.

The film captures the complex tension of long-distance family dynamics and the creative breakthroughs that happen when we finally pour our anxieties onto the page.

Event Details
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 | 8:45 PM – 10:15 PM
Location: Flix Brewhouse (85 E Towne Way, Madison, WI 53704)

Click here for more information: https://mideast.wisc.edu/upcoming-events/

This film is presented as part of the Wisconsin Film Festival and is proudly supported by the Middle East Studies Program (MESP).

04/10/2026

MESP CONFERENCE SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT:

"Libyan Student Activism in the United States: A History of Competing Visions for Libya" with David Wight, Historian (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)

In just a few decades, Libyan enrollment at American universities surged from a handful to several thousand, transforming U.S. campuses into a primary battleground for Libya’s future. This talk examines the escalating rivalry between students promoting Gaddafi’s “Arab Jamahiriya” and those utilizing their residency to organize against the dictatorship. David Wight argues that these diaspora networks were not merely students, but pivotal actors in international relations whose activism and subsequent violence during the 1970s and 80s reshaped both modern Libyan history and the American collegiate landscape.

For more information about our annual conference on April 17, including the speaker lineup and to register, go to: https://shorturl.at/cpDPl

04/09/2026

You don’t want to miss this fascinating workshop and lecture on “Piracy, Law, and Cross-Cultural Exchange in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean" with Professor Ali Atabey (University of Texas at San Antonio), on Friday, April 10.

Workshop: 12– 1:30 PM | Public Lecture: 4:30 – 6 PM, Memorial Union

Click here for more information: https://mideast.wisc.edu/upcoming-events/

This event is sponsored by ASM (Associated Students of Madison), the Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies, and the War in Society and Culture Program at the Department of History.

04/08/2026

MESP CONFERENCE SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT:

"Broadcasting Gaza, Negotiating Difference: How a Tanzanian Islamic Radio Station Mobilizes Solidarity Across Denominational Divides" with K.D. Thompson, Professor (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Drawing on ongoing ethnographic research at Radio Nuur, an Islamic radio station in Tanga, Tanzania, this talk explores how journalists and religious leaders craft narratives about Gaza that bypass both Western depoliticization and Middle Eastern sectarianism. K.D. Thompson examines how local sheikhs excavate Islamic traditions to build cross-confessional solidarity, using Gaza coverage to navigate Sunni-Shia divisions and counter emotional desensitization. They argue that vernacular Islamic media serves as a vital site for producing alternative ethical frameworks, reimagining the global Muslim community beyond imposed political and sectarian boundaries.

For more information about our annual conference on April 17, including the speaker lineup and to register, go to: https://shorturl.at/cpDPl