Middle East Talks

Our guest in this episode of Middle East Talks is the Palestinian American academic Karam Dana, to talk about his new book To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States. Dana offers a thorough examination of how and why Palestinian voices were for long marginalized (and demonized!) in American political discourse, but he also argues that the Palesti...

The British occupation authorities drafted the first law regulating sex work in Egypt, merely 6 weeks after British forces defeated the Egyptian army and occupied the country in 1882. The era of regulated sex work would last until 1951 when it finally became criminalized – just a few years before the end of British occupation. But the story of “Sex Work in Colonial Egypt” – the title of the book w...

Qudsiyya Khurshid belonged to the first generation of Palestinian broadcasters, joining the Palestine Broadcasting Service shortly after its launch in 1936. An educator and writer, she was among a small but expanding circle of women shaping Arab intellectual life in mandate-era Palestine. Afterleaving in 1948, she settled in Pennsylvania, where she remained active in civic and community work. What...

What’s it like to be a 2nd generation migrant to the United Arab Emirates who is also a social media star? How can you express your identity within the constraints of its legal and political system? My guest today Sonali Pahwa, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts & Dance at the University of Minnesota, looks at the examples of two famous content creators in Dubai… an Egyptian woman and a Syria...

Our guest today in Middle East Talks is Peter Beinart, American writer and professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, to discuss his new book Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza. The book has caused a sensation ever since it was published earlier this year. Coming at a time when the American Jewish community is increasingly divided over Israel, the boo...

The eras of Abbas Pasha and Said Pasha in mid 19th century Egypt are usually perceived as somewhat of a dark age … stuck there between the powerful ambitious rule of their predecessor Mohammed Ali, and the glamourous modern state that Ismail Pasha, their successor, tried to project after he came to power. Yet, Maha Ghalwash, our guest in today’s episode of Middle East Talks, argues that we should...

As the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power 16 years ago, our guest in today’s episode warned of an “imminent nakba”… the Arabic term used to describe the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948. Gilbert Achcar, Emeritus Professor at SOAS, University of London, described the convictions of Netanyahu and his right-wing allies in 2009 as:  “[It] is that coexisten...

The Revolution of 1919 is a key moment in modern Egyptian history. Pent up anger exploded after World War One, and Egyptians rose up demanding independence and an end to British occupation. But while 1919 is commonly seen to have achieved at best only partial success, it is revered as the moment when Egyptian national consciousness and unity reached their zenith. The prevailing narrative about 191...

The marshes of Iraq lie physically and metaphorically at the edge of the Arab world, and are quite under-studied and under-reported. Environmentally and culturally unique, the marshes and their people offer their own distinctive perspective on modern Iraqi history. “The Ghosts of Iraq’s Marshes: A History of Conflict, Tragedy, and Restoration”, offers a rare account of this story, and its co-autho...

For decades, Egyptians have been complaining about a chronic housing crisis: there never seem to be enough homes to keep up with the rapid growth of the Arab world’s most populous country. Yet, surprisingly, Egypt is one of largest producers of housing in the world… in fact there are millions of empty homes in Egypt… defying the simple logic of supply and demand. In his book, “Egypt’s Housing Cris...

Cairo, 1787. In the heart of a bustling market, a sudden explosion rips through the evening air. Gunpowder ignites, chaos erupts, and dozens are left dead or wounded. But what really happened that night? And what can this disaster reveal about the social and economic pulse of 18th-century Cairo? Join us for the premiere episode of Middle East Talks, where we dive deep into this historical moment w...