Talking about “Arabs”. Echoes from different Europes

Das Oriental Institute der tschechischen Akademie der Wissenschaften hält vom 27.-28. Mai eine Konferenz zum Thema „Talking about ‚Arabs‘. Echoes from different Europes“. Das Programm wird beigefügt, sobald es verfügbar ist.

Aus dem Call for Papers:

We are particularly interested in the following dimensions:
– Cooperation between academic institutions and media (what scientific disciplines dominate in the academic
inquiry on the region, and how they affect the construction of public knowledge on the Middle East? What type
of expertise is sought after by media outlets in news commentaries? What is the role of academic and
intellectuals when participating in the public debate on the Middle East?)
– Autonomy of academic research with regard to other fields (economic, political and journalistic). In the light of
important debates on Orientalism, one could ask how Middle Eastern studies operated in the absence of a clear
political interest in the region.
– Differences and similarities of journalism cultures across different European countries and their role in
reporting on Middle Eastern countries and issues (What are the networks of information diffusion on the issues
related to the Middle East? What foreign sources, experts, blogs or social media posts are regarded as reliable?).
– The main stakeholders determining in what light the region and its people will be portrayed: tourism agencies,
ministries, security experts, NGOs, businessmen, etc.
– The ways knowledge in the form of lay theories and “common sense” travels across European countries.
– The relation between academic research and civic engagement“