- 26 Feb 2013
MEI RESEARCH SEMINARS – Transitions to What? Reflections on the Arab Uprisings After 2 Years
MEI Research Seminars: Fortnightly lunchtime talks featuring our pool of Middle East experts
The Middle East Institute is pleased to announce the launch of our lunchtime talk series entitled “MEI Research Seminars”. The seminars will be organised fortnightly every Tuesdays from 12pm to 1.30pm starting next week. The seminars will feature MEI Research Team comprising professors, post-doctoral research fellows and research asssistants who will present their research work as well as other interesting issues and topics on the Middle East. The inaugural session will be conducted by MEI Director, Professor Michael C Hudson, on Tuesday, 26 March. Participants of the MEI Research Seminars will be treated to a light lunch at the institute. Places are limited to ensure in-depth interaction with fellow participants so kindly visit our website to register as soon as you can. Places are limited to ensure in-depth interaction with fellow participants so kindly visit our website to register as soon as you can.
ABSTRACT
The Arab uprisings that began at the end of 2010 have forced analysts of the Middle East to rethink long-held propositions about authoritarianism and democracy. Three fundamental questions remain to be satisfactorily answered. First, what exactly were—and are—these uprisings; how do we conceptualize them? Second, what caused them; in particular, why were most analysts surprised? Third, what will follow from them; in particular, what if anything do theories of transition to democracy have to offer by way of prediction?
About the Speakers
Professor Hudson is Director of the Middle East Institute and Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. He is also Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University, where he served as Director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies for many years. He has edited and contributed to numerous books, including Middle East Dilemma: The Politics and Economics of Arab Integration (Columbia University Press/CCAS, 1999), The Palestinians: New Directions (CCAS, 1990), and Alternative Approaches to the Arab-Israeli Conflict (CCAS, 1984). His other works include The Precarious Republic: Political Modernization in Lebanon (Random House, 1968, 1985) and Arab Politics: The Search for Legitimacy (Yale University Press, 1977), numerous chapters, and articles appearing in Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, International Affairs, Comparative Politics, Al-Mustaqbil al-’Arabi, and other scholarly journals. Dr. Hudson was awarded the 2011 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award from the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), of which he is a past president.
Event Details
National University of Singapore
469A Bukit Timah Road
Tower Block Level 2 Singapore 259770
