1. Conferences and debates

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Studying in Lebanon: Challenges to Syrian Refugee Children

Published at 38 12,,, 21 2021

Tenth conference in our program Aula Árabe Universitaria 2, to be given by Professor Carmen Geha (American University of Beirut). After ten years, the Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon are facing a new reality of long-lasting conflict and fear over returning home. Carmen Geha’s conference will analyze the complexities of being trapped in Lebanon, caught up in the middle of a turbulent political reality. The political system for sectarian-based power distribution in the country creates risks and challenges which can be seen in its educational policy towards Syrian youths. How do young refugees experience the educational system and what political realities make up the paths towards their return? The goal of this conference is to help conceptualize the role of education amid situations of uncertainty about the future and how a host country’s politics can influence the lives and future choices of young refugees. Casa Árabe has organized this conference with the cooperation of the bachelor’s degree program in Modern Languages at Nebrija University. Introducing the session will be Laura de la Parra Fernández, director of the bachelor’s degree program and a professor at Nebrija University, and Olivia Orozco de la Torre, Casa Árabe’s Training and Economic Coordinator. Carmen Geha Carmen is an activist and Associate Professor of Public Administration at the American University of Beirut. She specializes in mass political mobilization and the challenges to political reform across the Arab Middle East and North Africa. She is a co-founder of the Center for Inclusive Business & Leadership (CIBL) for Women at AUB, a regional reference on readying gender-inclusive employer policies across the region. She is also a co-founder of Khaddit Beirut (the shake-up), a network of 150+ experts implementing a community-driven roadmap for the recovery of Beirut following the port explosion on August 4th. She served also as Founding Director of the “Education for Leadership in Crisis,” scholarship program for Afghan women at AUB. Carmen manages and oversees large portfolio of research programs and grants in 11 Arab MENA countries focused on women’s economic participation as well as gender, peace, and security. Her work has been published in the Middle East Journal, the British Journal for Middle East Studies, Middle East Law and Governance, Journal of Refugee Studies, and Social Movement Studies among others. Carmen is an activist-scholar and is interviewed regularly on local and international media about events in Lebanon and the region. Carmen regularly advised and consults for top international organizations, UN agencies, and government institutions across the region. She has worked in Libya, Myanmar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq among other places. She has most recently consulted as Senior Gender Advisor for UN Women in Lebanon. Carmen has a PhD in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, she was the 2018-2019 fellow in social sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study. She has been a visiting fellow at the WiSER Institute in Johannesburg, Weatherhead Center at Harvard, and the Watson Institute in Brown University. More info: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/studying-in-lebanon-challenges-to-syrian-refugee-children

ALL VIDEOS IN THIS CATEGORY

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid

Casa Árabe and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with the cooperation of Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger) and Save the Children, have organized a round table discussion titled “The Regional Dimension of the Syrian Refugee Crisis (I): Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid.” The objective was to analyze and make evident the regional dimension of the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian conflict, as well as the socio-economic impact it is having on the neighboring countries. It included interventions by Michael Kingsley-Nyinah, director of the UNRWA office in Syria; Jean-Raphäel Poitou, geographic director for the Middle East at Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger); David del Campo, director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Save the Children, and a representative of Doctors Without Borders (pending confirmation). The debate was moderated by the journalist Carla Fibla. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-syrian-refugee-crisis-socio-economic-impact-and-humanitarian-aid

Published at 54 11,,, 15 2015
Geopolitics and Arab Societies: Keys to upheaval

On the occasion of the presentation of the books “Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos” and “What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials,” three journalists analyzed the current situation. The round table included talks by Reem Khalifa, an activist and founder of the newspaper Al Wasat in Bahrain; Javier Martín, delegate of the Efe Press Agency in North Africa and author de “Estado Islámico: Geopolítica del caos” (“Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos”) and David Perejil, a journalist and the editor of “¿Qué queda de las revueltas árabes?: Activistas, cambios y claves” (“What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials”). The event was presented by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for the Governance Area at Casa Árabe. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/geopolitics-and-arab-societies-keys-to-today’s-upheaval

Published at 05 22,,, 15 2015
The sacred art of Kufic calligraphy: an aesthetic reflection

Valérie González, an expert on Islamic visual culture, gave this conference in Casa Árabe. One of the most important forms of artistic expression in Islam is Kufic calligraphy. It was precisely in this form of writing that God’s word in the Qur’an was taken down with devotion at the beginnings of Islam’s history. Valérie González analyzed the role played by writing and calligraphy, and more specifically Kufic writing, as artistic paradigms in Islamic logocentrism at this conference. She examined masterpieces of Kufic calligraphy used in different media, such as books, architecture and objects created by artists, to show how the sacred human act of setting down Divine Revelation in writing gave rise to a sublimating visualization that transcended beyond just religious art. A special emphasis was placed on the Samanid ceramics of the tenth and eleventh centuries, whose wonderful calligraphic decoration blurs the border between the ordinary and the extraordinary, so deeply rooted within the West’s aesthetic consciousness. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-sacred-art-of-kufic-calligraphy-an-aesthetic-reflection

Published at 27 22,,, 15 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 4

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 4: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS “Creativity and spaces for freedom.” Malu Halasa, writer and editor of the book “Syria Speaks” “The walls speak: art in the streets.” Anahi Alviso, a researcher at the Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa (CEFAS) “People’s theater and collective memory.” Jaouad Essounani, director of the company Dabateatr Moderated by: Nuria Medina, Coordinator of Culture and New Media, Casa Árabe More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Published at 06 17,,, 15 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 3

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 3: MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS “The importance of discontent: Arab faces and perceptions of injustice.” Middle East Center, associate researcher, Carnegie-Middle East Center “Activism and human rights.” Mohammed al Maskati, consultant and defender of Human Rights, The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights “Mental health in countries affected by conflicts.” Sally Toma, psychologist, therapist and activist. Kazeboon Moderated by: Leila Nachawati, a professor of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III and co-founder of the portal Syria Untold. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Published at 04 17,,, 15 2015