Academic Events

October 2020: As part of the Refugee Integration Conference & Arts Festival presented by the Refugees in Towns project, BCARS Assistant Director, Allyson Hawkins and researcher Ruby Assad presented research on refugee integration in Amman, Jordan. The Refugee Integration Conference paired researchers with practitioners to give presentations showcasing how their city or town is supporting integration and also how they are struggling with exclusion. 

November 2019: Last fall, BCARS Director, Denis Sullivan presented as part of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs/Center for Middle East Studies Middle East Seminar series at Harvard. The talk explored the "weaponization of citizenship," the role of civil society in shaping conceptualizations of citizenship, and equal access to citizenship rights for women across the Arab Region. Weren't able to attend? BCARS will be releasing an episode of "On the Move" the BCARS podcast wherein Dr. Sullivan will expand on this discussion. Listen to "On the Move" on iTunes or on the BCARS website. 

February 2019: Since early 2011, both Syria and Yemen have been in the throes of displacement and near-total destruction. Syria has received far more attention than Yemen has over the past eight years due primarily to the international meddling in the war itself: Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Hezbollah (Lebanon), ISIS, the US, Israel, Bahrain, Jordan… To varying degrees, all of these actors have been involved in maintaining the war itself, fueling the displacement and destruction of Syria. In addition, around one million Syrian refugees have made their way to Europe whereas Yemen’s victims – internally displaced families, famine and cholera victims, and refugees – have not forced their way into “Western consciousness” via the media or through millions of civilians seeking refuge in Europe or North America. Yemen has, finally, found its way into global consciousness due in large part to the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s personal security detail, which led to increased US Congressional and media scrutiny of the Saudi war in Yemen and of US complicity there. After mapping out the humanitarian crises affecting both Yemen and Syria, the focus of this talk will be on Syria primarily.

April 2018: "Turkey Today," a one-day conference and collaboration between BCARS, Northeastern University, and the BCARS Scholar Network explored immigration and urban transformation, participation and exclusion in democratic policies, and media and censorship in modern Turkey. Through a series of panels, participants presented research covering a diverse set of topics including service provision for refugees, urban transformation in Istanbul, political competition and women's rights, and social media and press freedoms.  

October 2017: This workshop examined the convergence of trafficking and migration, with a particular focus on innovation that disrupts exploitation markets of vulnerable and displaced refugees. Dr. Amira Mohamed, BCARS Director for Policy & Practice, presented her research, "When Human Beings Are Commodities: Human Trafficking in the Middle East," on a panel examining the legal challenges at the migration-human trafficking nexus. The workshop was presented by Boston University's Initiative on Forced Migration and Human Trafficking (FMHT) and led by Co-Directors and Pardee School Professors Noora Lori  (BCARS Assoc. Dir.) and Kaija Schilde. 

October 2017: The refugee crisis gripping the Middle East and Europe is a tragedy for millions seeking protection in bordering countries and in the larger region. Host countries are facing challenges providing for basic needs and ensuring livelihoods. Refugees fleeing persecution and violence commonly become the responsibility of the international community. Thus, determining the best way to share responsibility for their protection is crucial for creating sustainable solutions. In this context, the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo hosted this conference. In addition to addressing the specific refugee situation in the Euro-Mediterranean, the two-day conference contributed to general discussions about international cooperation in responsibility-sharing, including within the context of the "Compact on Large Movements of Refugees."

CMES and BCARS hosted a research and policy workshop on identifying realistic development strategies in conflict areas and other highly constrained contexts in the Middle East. The workshop was designed around a practitioner's point of view. There is a desperate need for more thoughtful and innovative approaches and paradigms to development work in the Middle East, especially given the daunting challenges confronting the region and the intractable nature of regional crises. For example, regional crises can no longer be regarded as temporary but are now increasingly permanent and defining features of an altered Middle East. Consequently, traditional dichotomies that separate humanitarian and development assistance are ineffective and, arguably, damaging.

October 2017: This workshop examined the convergence of trafficking and migration, with a particular focus on innovation that disrupts exploitation markets of vulnerable and displaced refugees. Dr. Amira Mohamed, BCARS Director for Policy & Practice, presented her research, "When Human Beings Are Commodities: Human Trafficking in the Middle East," on a panel examining the legal challenges at the migration-human trafficking nexus. The workshop was presented by Boston University's Initiative on Forced Migration and Human Trafficking (FMHT) and led by Co-Directors and Pardee School Professors Noora Lori  (BCARS Assoc. Dir.) and Kaija Schilde.