MEI News Winter 2013

1

2012 marks the fifth anniversary of the Middle East Institute, and on October 10 a group gath-ered to celebrate a number of recent accomplish-ments: the Emirates NBD Middle East Essay Prize winner; the launch of the Institute’s new series, “The Singapore Middle East Papers;” and the new volume Writing the Modern History of Iraq: Historiographical and Political Challenges, edited by MEI Visiting Research Professor Peter Sluglett and published by World Scientific.

The event, held at the Marriott Hotel, was graced by family and friends, including Mr. Zakariya Hamed Hilal al-Saadi, Consulate-General of the Sultanate of Oman, and Dr. Brian Shegar, General Manager of the Singapore Branch and Head of Asia Pacific, Emirates NBD. MEI Visiting Research Fellow Dr. Sara Bazoobandi, who served as the event’s MC, kicked off the evening by inviting MEI Director Professor Michael C. Hudson to say a few words of welcome. The MEI Emirates NBD Middle East Essay prize, won by NUS third-year student Chia Jie Min, was then announced. Ms. Chia won with her well-structured and skilfully written essay, “Velayat E-Faqih and Democracy in Iran: An Assessment.”

The evening was capped off by the launch of both the “Singapore Middle East Papers” and Writing

Winter 2013

the Modern History of Iraq. Editors of the respec-tive publications, MEI Editor Mimi Kirk and Pro-fessor Sluglett, both expressed their pleasure at their completion and, in Ms. Kirk’s case, her plans for future publications. Professor Hudson together with Mr. Samuel Tan, Director General, Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, subsequently unveiled the cover of Professor Sluglett’s book with grand flourish.

An Evening of Celebration: MEI Honors Its Anniversary and Achievements

Brian Shegar of Emirates NBD, which generously enabled the essay prize to include both an award of $1,000 and a week’s stay in Dubai, congratulates the winner’s mother, Mrs. Chia, as MEI Director Michael Hudson looks on.

Professor Peter Sluglett poses by the cover of his edited volume, Writing the Modern History of Iraq.

MEI NEWS Winter 2013

2

In early October, MEI hosted Professor Oren Yifta-chel of Israel’s Ben Gurion University to speak on the topic of “A New Political Geography for Israel/Palestine? From Colonial Control to Confedera-tion.” Professor Yiftachel began with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2009 quote, “We have managed to create a national agreement about the concept of ‘two states for two peoples’ as our strategy for peace.” Yiftachel questioned this statement given the fact that two states have not been achieved in Palestine/Israel, with Israel continuing to add settlers and nationalize Palestin-ian lands.

Yiftachel addressed the situation in Israel/Pales-tine through the discipline of political geography, which investigates the dynamic links between power and space, thus exposing colonization and settler societies. Though Israel has retreated from certain spaces, such as the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, such movement has not been coupled with reconciliation. Instead, Yiftachel argued that a process of “creeping apartheid” is underway in which spaces in Israel and Palestine are “sepa-rate but not equal.” He also pointed to the idea of “gray space,” in which undocumented and unregistered people are “floating.” “In Israel/Pal-estine,” he noted, “half the population exists in

Oren Yiftachel Speaks on Idea of Confederation for Israel/Palestine

this gray space.” Through such phenomena Israel is revealed as an “ethnocracy,” or what Yiftachel defines as a state that has formal democracy but continues a project of ethnic expansion and domi-nation. Yiftachel has studied other ethnocracies that have turned toward democratization, such as Northern Ireland. “In all cases,” he said, “the land system is key.”

Yiftachel concluded by explaining how in the last year he and a group have developed the idea of “confederation” between Israel and Palestine. They see the confederation as consisting of a sov-ereign Israel and a sovereign Palestine with a joint council to manage joint interests such as land, trade, and currency, with Jerusalem as an open and autonomous shared capital. A more just re-distribution of resources through the arrangement would be vital, particularly in terms of land.

Though the idea of a binational, secular democ-racy (the “one state solution”) has gained cur-rency with intellectuals recently, Yiftachel argued that the majority of Israelis would not support it because it in effect dissolves the state of Is-rael. “Confederation is gradual binationalism,” he said. “We feel that it could mobilize Jews and Palestinians.”

Professor Oren Yiftachel of Ben Gurion University

MEI NEWS Winter 2013

3

Announcing Our 2013 Annual Conference, “Converging Regions: Global Perspectives on Asia and the Middle East”

The Middle East Institute is pleased to announce its upcoming conference, to be held May 29–31, 2013, entitled “Converging Regions: Global Per-spectives on Asia and the Middle East.”

Recent events in the Middle East and Asia—the Arab uprisings, the meteoric rise of the Chinese and Indian economies, the proliferation of differ-ent Islamic movements in the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia—are forcing societ-ies and cultures to reevaluate long-established assumptions and to prepare for significant global change. Decision makers in business and gov-ernment, as well as academics engaged in the study of these vast regions, see the future pulling them toward expansive visions of transcontinental markets and communities from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.

This three-day conference seeks to harness the insight and creativity of academic specialists best placed to explore and understand the cumulative

problems of increasingly interdependent global communities. MEI will convene leading scholars with expertise in Middle Eastern and Asian affairs to discuss their views and perceptions of regional and global change.

Scholarship in international relations and area studies is advancing rapidly, making a consider-able effort to keep pace with revolutionary unrest and changing aspirations around the world, partic-ularly in the Middle East and Asia. Major upheav-als have been taking place in every geographical region, including financial meltdowns, arms races, environmental degradation, and, most recently, impressive protests against social injustice and political repression. This conference will address the broad political, social, and economic ramifica-tions of such events and their impact on the wider trans-regional context.

Please check our website for more details as they emerge: http://www.mei.nus.edu.sg.

MEI Welcomes New Postdoctoral Fellow

The Institute is pleased to announce the newest addition to its group of postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Fanar Haddad, whose main research topics are identity, historical memory, nationalism, com-munal conflict, and minority politics. Dr. Haddad’s research at MEI will focus on historical memory and narratives of state in the Middle East. Previously a lecturer in modern Middle Eastern his-tory at the University of Exeter and most recently at Queen Mary, University of London, Dr. Haddad was also a Research Analyst at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he worked on North Africa. He has since published widely on issues relating to historic and contemporary Iraq, including his book, Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity (London/New York: Hurst/ Columbia University Press, 2011).

MEI NEWS Winter 2013

4

MEI Participates in Singapore Writers Festival

Our New Publications

MEI recently published the latest compilation of MEI Insights and the proceedings from our May 2012 conference, “The Arab Uprisings One Year Later: Examining the Possibilities and Risks.” MEI Insights are 1,000–2,000-word online essays on a variety of topics pertaining to MEI’s research clusters of politics and regional security, economics and business, and society and culture. Every quarter the Institute publishes the latest 10 articles in a booklet. This latest compendium features articles on the Syrian crisis, Arab economies, and the politics of Iran, Egypt, and Kuwait. The conference proceedings, written by MEI Research Assistants Faeza Abdurazak and Nurhidayahti Mohammad Miharja as well as former MEI intern David Wong De-Wei and volunteer Nadim Ali Kapadia, provide succinct summaries of each paper given at the event.

Please look out for our upcoming publications as well, including a new issue of the Singapore Middle East Papers on Iraqi history and economics. All MEI publications may be downloaded free of charge from our website: http://www.mei.nus.edu.sg.

MEI NEWS Winter 2013

5

Unmasking “Muslim Rage” | The MEI Conversations

MEI’s Conversations Series features infor-mal interviews with prominent individuals about current events and/or their experi-ence and work re-lating to the Middle East, Asia, and the Institute.

“For belief systems to stay progressive,

it is crucial that they stay open to critiques that are constructive and intelligent.”

For literary scholar Nazry Bahrawi, whose research project at MEI last year explored Islamic theologi-cal links between the Nusantara and the Middle East, “even parody can be considered a form of constructive criticism.”

However, Mr. Nazry contends that the anti-Mus-lim film Innocence of Muslims falls neither into the category of parody nor constructive critique. Rather, it represents “a malicious attempt at feed-ing post-9/11 Islamophobia.”

On the issue of aggressive reactions to the film—what has been termed “Muslim rage”—Mr. Nazry explains:

“That ‘Muslim rage’ has entered public discourse suggests the continued fear of the Muslim ‘other.’ The characterization of ‘Muslim rage’ stems from

the view that the world’s tensions are the result of abrasive contact between different groups of people, each with unique but incongruous traits and values.” This neurosis of the modern world is similarly perpetuated in the academic realm, seen in Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” theory.

As for the Islamophobic content of Innocence of Muslims, Mr. Nazry cautions that it does not legiti-mize hasty and hostile reactions.

“[B]anning such materials is merely a stopgap measure. Here, I am of the opinion that orthodoxy, not free speech, lies at the crux of this fallout. By this, I mean that those who protested violently against the film would not deign to react in this way had they been used to the idea that Islamic discourses are rich, multifarious, and highly con-tested. The awareness that there is no one ortho-dox view of Islamic theology denotes the ability to sieve out disreputable discourses from valid ones, and clearly Innocence of Muslims belongs to the former category.”

Mr. Nazry fears that “[u]ntil such a view becomes commonplace, aggravators will always find a ready group of protestors, as we have seen in the past through reactions to Salman Rushdie’s The Sa-tanic Verses or the Prophet Muhammad cartoons, among others.”

Such fiery protests, he aptly points out, “ironically only serve to breathe life into the myth of Muslim rage, rather than discredit it.”

The 2012 Singapore Writers Festival, which took place from November 2–11, included a Middle East focus this year. Four panels over the course of two days featured writers, memoirists, cartoon-ists, and scholars who either hail from or study the Middle East, including several staff members from MEI. Visiting Research Professor Lilia La-bidi spoke on two panels—”Introducing Middle East Writing” and “The Arab Spring and Litera-ture”—while Research Assistant Faeza Abdurazak presented on the panel, “New Arab Writing.” MEI Editor Mimi Kirk hosted a lunch for Palestinian physician and activist Izzeldin Abuelaish and mod-erated “New Arab Writing.” Research Assistant Nurhidayahti Mohammad Miharja served as a liai-son officer for Jordanian short story writer Hisham Bustani, hosting him and helping with logistics.

The active English language blog “Arabic Litera-ture” also interviewed Ms. Kirk about Singapore’s interest in the Middle East. She told the blog’s au-thor, M. Lynx Qualey, that “Singaporean interest in the Middle East has been increasing for a while now. For instance, the Middle East Institute…was founded five years ago (in 2007). We’ve seen a lot of growth in the public’s interest in the region through our lectures, social media platforms, and other events, such as film screenings at the Arts House. And there are already [many] business links between Singapore and the region in terms of oil, as Singapore imports most of its oil from the Gulf and also refines oil. But there [hasn’t] been much on connectivity via literature until now— so this is where the Singapore Writers Festival’s Middle East focus comes in and fills a gap.”

MEI NEWS AUTUMN 2013

6

Research Staff Accomplishments

Faeza Abdurazak, Research Assistant, participated in the “Decolonise the City!: Decolonial Perspec-tives on the Neoliberal City” conference, held from September 21–23 in Berlin, Germany. She also presented on the panel “New Arab Writing” at the Singapore Writers Festival, organized by the National Arts Council and the Arts House, on November 11 at the Peranakan Museum.

Sara Bazoobandi, Visiting Research Fellow, published the book, Political Economy of the Gulf Sov-ereign Wealth Funds: A Case Study of Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates with Routledge in November. Dr. Bazoobandi presented the paper, “Iran Pushes Ties with Asia: A Strategic Move or a Matter of Survival?” at the Gulf Research Centre Annual Meeting, held from July 12–14 at the University of Cambridge, and she spoke at the Strategic Studies Network Annual Summit, held from November 3–6 in Bangkok, Thailand. She also spoke to the media and to academics on topics including Iran’s domestic political issues and their impact on the rising tensions between Iran and Israel at Chatham House (October 3); the protests against the anti-Muslim film Innocence of Muslims on Channel News Asia (October 4); Iran’s currency crisis on BBC Persian (October 5); and Iran’s domestic and foreign policy challenges and their relation to South Asia at the Institute of South Asian Studies (November 30).

Robert Bianchi, Visiting Research Professor, presented the paper, “Urban Politics in Egypt and Tunisia” at the “Revolts and Transitions in the Arab World: Towards a New Urban Agenda” conference, orga-nized by the Centre d’Études et de Documentation Économiques, Juridiques et Sociales from Novem-ber 7–9 at the French Institute of Egypt, Cairo. He has also given several media interviews on recent developments in Egypt and Israel/Palestine to Channel 8 (November 20), the BBC (November 21), and Channel News Asia (November 22 and 24).

Marie Duboc, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, received the 2012 Journal of Middle East Women’s Stud-ies’ graduate paper prize for the article “Where are the Men? Here are the Men and the Women! Surveillance, Gender, and Strikes in Egyptian Textile Factories.” She also presented the paper, “Chal-lenging the Union, Reclaiming the Nation: The Politics of Labor Protest in Egypt, 2006–2011” at the Evolving Ruling Bargain in the Middle East Working Group Meeting II, organized by the Center for International and Regional Studies, held from September 15–16 at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

Navid Fozi-Abivard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, participated in the 111th American Anthropological Association annual meeting, held from November 14–18 in San Francisco, as well as the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting, held from November 17–20 in Denver, Colorado.

Benjamin Lewis Geer, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, chaired a panel on “Re-Enchanting Social and Cultural Landscapes: Modern Arabic Fiction” at the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting, held from November 17–20 in Denver, Colorado. He also published the article, “Yousry Nasrallah: The Pursuit of Autonomy in the Arab and European Film Markets” in Josef Gugler’s edited Contemporary Arab Filmmakers: Political Protest and Social Critique (Indiana University Press, forthcoming).

Fanar Haddad, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, published “Identity Politics in Iraq: How Much of it is About Identity?” in Near East Quarterly. He delivered the public lecture, “Don’t Say the ‘S’-Word! Sec-tarianism, Nationalism, and Conflict in the Middle East” at King’s College London and presented the paper, “From Beyond the Grave: The Legacy of the Ba‘th Between Ideology and Power” at the Mid-dle East Studies Association annual meeting from November 17–20 in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Haddad was also interviewed by Jadaliyya about his book Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity in November.

Ali Kadri, Senior Research Fellow, developed Thimar’s research projects, most particularly on la-bor, as a member of the Thimar Research Collective on Agriculture, Environment, and Labor in the Arab World from June 5–15 in Beirut. He also published several articles, including “Marginality and Exclusion in Egypt” in Ray Bush’s edited Marginalised Middle East—Regional Dimensions and Re-gional Conflicts (Zed Books, 2012) and “Proletarianisation in the Arab World” with International Development Economics Associates-IDEAS in October. Dr. Kadri presented the paper, “The Possibility of a Welfare State in the Arab World” at the Association for Middle Eastern Public Policy and Adminis-

MEI NEWS AUTUMN 2013

7

tration’s inaugural conference, held from November 8–9 at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. He also gave a media interview on the Israel/Palestine conflict to Channel News Asia (November 23).

Mimi Kirk, Editor, moderated the panel “New Arab Writing” and hosted a lunch for Palestinian physi-cian and activist Izzeldin Abuelaish at the Singapore Writers’ Festival, organized by the National Arts Council and the Arts House, on November 11 at the Peranakan Museum. She also participated in the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting from November 17–20 in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Kirk traveled to Dubai in late November to conduct field research on China’s Confucius Institutes in the United Arab Emirates.

Lilia Labidi, Visiting Research Professor, gave an interview on “Women and the Constituent Assem-bly” to a Tunisian publication in July. She also presented on two panels, ”Introducing Middle East Writ-ing” and “The Arab Spring and Literature,” at the Singapore Writers’ Festival, organized by the National Arts Council and the Arts House, on November 10 at the Peranakan Museum.

Linda Matar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, published “Twilight of State Capitalism in Formerly ‘So-cialist’ Arab States” in the Journal of North African Studies in October and presented the paper, “The Economic Fuel of the Syrian Uprising” at the Association for Middle Eastern Public Policy and Adminis-tration’s inaugural conference, held from November 8–9 at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

Nurhidayahti Mohammad Miharja, Research Assistant, participated in the “First Spectrum Confer-ence on Global Studies: Historical Sociology, Historical Materialism, and International Relations” at the Middle East Technical University, held from November 2–3 in Ankara, Turkey.

Peter Sluglett, Visiting Research Professor, presented the paper, “Urban Identities in the Mediter-ranean: The Role of Class and Religion in (Re)shaping the Urban Fabric in Beirut” at a conference on “Mediterranean Cities: Myth or/and Reality” at the Centro Stefano Franscini, Ascona, Switzerland from September 26–29. He also participated in the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (of which he is now President) in Denver, Colorado from November 17–20.

Photo Credits

Page 1: Leo Simon

Page 2: Rommel Hernando

Page 3: Fanar Haddad image courtesy of Georgetown University’s Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS)

Page 4: Poster courtesy of the Arts House, Singapore

Page 5: Photo courtesy of Nazry Bahrawi

MEI News is published quarterly by the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. Research Assistant Ms. Nurhidayahti Mohammad Miharja serves as its main writer and editor.

MEI NEWS AUTUMN 2013

469A Bukit Timah RoadTower Block, Level 2

Singapore 259770Tel: +65 6516 2380 Fax: +65 6467 8714

Email: [email protected] www.mei.nus.edu.sg