A conference organised by MENA Solidarity, Egypt Solidarity Initiative and BahrainWatch
Supported by SOAS Unison and UCU Retired members
6-9pm Friday 13 February – 10-5pm Saturday 14 February
School of African & Oriental Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
£5 student or unwaged / £10 waged
Four years after uprisings swept the Middle East millions of people still struggle for freedom and social justice. In 2011 dictators fell and new movements emerged in countries from North Africa to the Gulf. Their demands won support worldwide and inspired a host of campaigns for radical change.
Challenged by the prospect of democracy, regimes have since attempted counter-revolution. Some have used extreme violence; some have encouraged sectarian division or attempted to co-opt and control organisations of the mass movement. Activists across the Middle East nonetheless continue to work for change.
This conference addresses achievements of the revolutions and the challenges that now confront them:
- what can we learn about struggles from below and the responses of the state?
- have attempts at counter-revolution been successful?
- how are activist networks sustained – and how can we support them?
The conference draws on experiences in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Palestine, Morocco and Iraq. Speakers include activists from the front line, with assessments from academics, human rights experts and media analysts. It will consider the centrality of Palestine for movements across the region – and the impact of the uprisings within Palestine. Speakers will include activists from the front line, with assessments from academics, human rights experts and media analysts.
Speakers include: Owen Jones | Sarah Waldron | Ali Abdulemam | Maryam al-Khawaja | Gilbert Achcar | Miriyam Aouragh | Sherif Azer | Anne Alexander | Mohamed Boutayeb | Joseph Daher | Riya Hasan | Nadine Marroushi | Sameh Naguib | Ala’a Shehabi | Malia Bouattia | Toufic Haddad
Provisional timetable – download a copy here
| Time/Date | Sessions / Location | |
| Friday 13th February | Opening session: DLT Lecture Theatre (formerly G2) | |
| 6.00pm | Film: We Are The Giant (93 mins)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gseD-v1l3x0
Panel discussion: responses to the film
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| Saturday 14th February | Plenary session: Khalili Lecture Theatre | |
| 10am – 11.15 | Have counter-revolutionary forces crushed the Arab uprisings?
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| 11.30 – 12.45 | Workshop 1/ Khalili Lecture Theatre | Workshop 2 / G3 |
Did the Arab revolutions fail the Palestinians?
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Neoliberalism, the workers’ movement and the struggle for social justice
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| 12.45 – 1.30 | Lunch | |
| Workshop 3/ Khalili Lecture Theatre | Workshop 4 / G3 | |
| 1.30 -2.45 | Sectarianism, ISIS and counter-revolution
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Women and the revolutions: between liberation and oppression
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| Workshop 5/ Khalili Lecture Theatre | Workshop 6 / G3 | |
| 3-4.15 | Sustaining resistance: new tactics in transnational solidarity activism
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How can we win democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?
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| Closing plenary / Khalili Lecture Theatre | ||
| 4.15-5 | Challenging power, building solidarity
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Tickets for the conference are available to buy online – click on the link below.
Egypt Solidarity 
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