Culture & Dialogue
Photo by Marta Bogdanska
Introduction
National, political and religious identities remain subjects of contention around the region.  People in the Middle East are called upon to rally around narrowly defined values that are deployed in struggles over markets, power and cultural hegemony, and often have little opportunity to choose and decide how to define themselves, where to look for sources of inspiration and pride. The program Culture and Dialogue wants to widen understanding about the cultural dimensions of conflict and their relation to globalization and inequality of power, and supports cultural expressions and perspectives of socio-political issues and cross-cultural exchange.

Events

Public Discussion and Presentation

Global Prayers – Redemption and Liberation in the City

21 June 2011 6pm to 9pm at Hangar/Umam, Beirut, Lebanon. Holy Ghost services which feel like pop concerts; cinemas and theatres converted into churches; the Koran and the Bible as rap songs. New religious movements have arrived on the urban scene across the world – be it in Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Mumbai, Berlin, London, or Beirut.

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International Conference

Social Sciences in Arab Countries Facing a Scientific Multi-Versalism: Pathways, Challenges and Constraints

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8-9 July 2011 at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The emergence of a multi-polar science world with many emerging and strong science communities in East-Asia, India and Latin America and, last but not least, in the Arab countries, indicate the end of the exclusive reign of Western social sciences and the beginning of a new era of international social science collaborations.

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Documentary Film Festival

Independent Film & Television College Documentary Film Festival 2011

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In April and May 2011, the Independent Film & Television College (Baghdad) organized a traveling film festival in Iraq where it screened 16 short documentaries made by its students.

These films, made by young Iraqis at the beginning of their filmmaking experience, all reflect upon the life of ordinary Iraqis in these extraordinary times, through which the country and its people have been living since the fall of the former regime.

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Film Festival

Tübingen Arab Film Festival 2011

 -  The Arab Film Festival of Tübingen, Germany encourages dialog between cultures, religions and societies by screening recent movies in Arabic language. more»

Testimonials & Film Screening

A Tribute to Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd

 - On 12 October 2010 a number of Dr. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s close friends and Arab intellectuals paid him tribute by giving testimonies on his life and work. The event was concluded with the documentary film “Waiting for Abu Zayd” by Mohammad Ali Al Atassi. more»

Exhibition & Event Series

“America” in Beirut Art Center

 - October 20, 2009 - Beirut Art Center’s exhibition and event series America reflected on what the United States of America mean in our collective unconscious. The exhibition featured sixteen works by artists of different nationalities and backgrounds, living inside and outside of the US. Whether they focus on people, urban environment or natural landscape, whether they dwell on pivotal historical moments or mundane ones, all these works reflect on aspects of American cultural, social and political life that have become of universal relevance. more»

Symposium & Film Screening

Anywhere but Now

 - This international symposium and the accompanying film screenings took place April 2-4, 2009 and explored the landscapes and passions of belonging, the struggle over sovereignty and the fragile sense of concepts such as "home" and "now" in the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean. Film Screenings in Cooperation with Arte East.

 

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Projects

Cultural Magazine

Kalamon

Kalamon is an Arabic quarterly magazine published in Lebanon. It seeks to provide a free space for articles, essays, studies and literary texts pertaining to the Arab world and aims at stimulating dialogue among intellectuals and academics, artists and critics from the region and the world. more»

Video Platform

Platforms for Critical Intellectual and Cultural Exchange

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Ashkal Alwan - The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts, initiates and promotes critical artistic practices and continuously works to document and build an archival record of contemporary intellectual and creative activity. Ashkal Alwan organizes the Home Works Forum, which is a multidisciplinary project that brings together artists, writers and intellectuals to present their works over a 10-day period through a calendar of events open to the public.

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Articles

Article

A New Islamophobia

Islamophobia, according to the author, is a growing phenomenon in Western countries. Drawing on prejudices against Islam that have deep in roots in Christian European history and thought, the phenomenon has reached unprecedented heights in the post 9/11 political discourse. By Ilan Halevi more»

Article

'Orientalizing the Orientals': The Other Message of Edward Said

 - Arising from an interest in the study of the modalities of production of knowledge in and about the Arab region, this paper deals with Occidentalism, understood as the body of narratives and discourses by which Europeans and the US societies, governments and policies are represented and interpreted in this part of the world. By Fawwaz Traboulsi more»

Article

On Blasphemy, Bigotry and the Politics of Culture Talk

 - Following-up on his book from 2004 titled "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim", the author advances further arguments on how to better understand the "clash of civilizations" - including its distinctive European version - and how to best develop an effective counter to hate movements organized as political projects. By Mahmoud Mamdani more»

Publications

Cultural Practices of Arab Youth - Volume XIV 2009-2010

Edited Volume

Cultural Practices of Arab Youth - Volume XIV 2009-2010

The latest volume of collected articles and essays published by Bahithat (The Lebanese Association of Women Researchers) analyzes and contextualizes contemporary cultural practices and forms of entertainment applied by young people (aged 15 – 24 years) in several Arab countries and in the Diaspora. more»

Edited Volume

What a Story: Children’s Literature Today

 - Children’s literature in Lebanon nowadays is characterized by its dynamic development which shows through different traditional and contemporary narrations. Nevertheless, there are a number of factors that prevent the development of innovative children’s literature such as a lack of analytical studies, its quality, the absence of not modern issues (such as gender, conflict, environmental issues etc), and a lack of opportunities to exchange different experiences on the local, regional or international levels. more»

Book

Damascus: Tourists, Artists, Secret Agents

 - This book concludes an artistic research project which took place in Damascus in October 2008 and through an online platform in the months before and after. The project “Reloading Images: Damascus / Work in Progress 2008” brought together cultural practitioners from Syria, Germany, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Turkey, USA, Egypt and Slovakia to discuss forms of artistic agency and work together on artistic projects taking the city of Damascus as a starting point. more»

Edited Volume

Waiting for the Barbarians - A Tribute to Edward Said

 - In engaging with the richly varied and seminal scholarship of Edward Said, Waiting for the Barbarians aims to recover the notion of culture as a collective, hybrid and plural experience, inlight of the political imperative that rules our present. In bringing together some of the figures most closely associated with Said and his scholarship, this comprehensive volume looks at Said the literary critic and public intellectual, Palestine, and Said’s intellectual legacy: the future through the lens of his work. more»

Conference Report

‘All that is banned is desired.’

 - The report is a documentation of a regional conference "Freedom of Expression in Music", that was held in Beirut from 7 to 8 October 2005, in collaboration with Freemuse - World Forum on Music and Censorship and Irab-Arabic Association for Music. more»
Perspectives #3: Syria's Revolution - Society, Power, Ideology
Latest Issues
Perspectives #3 February 2012 - Syria's Revolution: Society, Power, Ideology
Perspectives #2 May 2011, Special Issue: People's Power - The Arab World in Revolt
Perspectives #1 April 2011: Nuclear Energy and the Arab World - Ambition and Peril
Upcoming Event

The Legal Agenda

Thursday, 23 February 2012 6pm.

Legislative Trends in 2011

Seminar organized by the Legal Agenda in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung - Middle East Office.

Reaching Boiling Point? Global Perspectives on the 2011 UN Climate Summit 100 years of international women's day
Latest Articles & Publications
Women, Revolution, Politics and Power
During the Arab uprisings, an unprecedented number of women took to the streets, paving the way for a more important role in politics. However, in the transitional period that follows, they now have to fight against their exclusion from the political arena. By Dalal al-Bizri more»
There Must Be a Freedom Square - And We Have Set the Date
From Syria, 8 months after the beginning of the popular uprising, this article offers a personal account of the brutality of the repression and its implications on the lives of human right activists.

By Razan Zaitouneh more»
Is it Winter or Spring for Christians in Syria?
Following the popular uprisings, there has been much amount of debate on the future of minority Christians sects in the region. Is the new Arab world hostile to Christians? Is it wise for them to fear the downfall of the Assad regime? By Doreen Khoury more»
Heinrich Böll Stiftung