Provosts Global Forum:

The Arab Spring in a Global

Context
Organizer(s): University of Iowa- International Programs
Date of Conference and location: 30/04/2015 01/05/2015, USA
Overview of event:

The Provosts Global Forum is a conference aimed at the

sharing and discussion of ideas by scholars of all disciplines,
including Middle Eastern Studies, journalism and mass
communication. The upcoming year, the theme of discussion
will be the Arab Spring.
It will be open to representatives of NGOs, governments, and
think tanks. The aim is to facilitate the sharing of ideas and
to contribute to building a body of knowledge on this topic
representing the broadest range of perspectives possible.
The conference will feature presentations of research papers
and reports, roundtable conversations, and panel
discussions.
Topics discussed:

Challenges to the relationship between governed and

governing actors in the Arab region post-Arab Spring
New legal regimes navigating sectarian, gender, and
religious fault lines

Scientific International Conference on

Social Media in a Changing Media
Environment: Lessons from the Arab world

Organizer(s): The Tunisian Press and Information Science Institute

& The Arab-European Association of Communication and Media
Researchers
Date of Conference and location: 16/10/2014 18/10/2014, Tunisia
Overview of event:

The conference discussed the risks involved in the usage of new

media in the Arab World in the wake of political, social, cultural
and information transformations.
Participants explored the various approaches in dealing with new
media and identified the role of online stakeholders in
dismantling values and re-developing them.
The changes in the role of new media and its effect on the work
of media and communication professionals, as well as its
influence on professional ethics were discussed.
Topics discussed:

Social Media in the Arab World: Theoretical and Historical

Approaches
Social Media, Democratic Change and Political Participation
Social transformations in the Arab World and the role of the elite:
disaggregating and emerging elites
New media and communication practices: Violations against
ethics andprivacy of individuals
Professionals experiences in the field of new media: towards an
Arab Codeof Digital Media Ethics

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Social Policy Conference

Organizer(s): University of Bath

Date of Conference and location: 20/11/2014 21/11/2014, United
Kingdom
Overview of event:

The MENA Social Policy Conference is aimed as a contribution to

emerging academic and policy debates regarding the issues of social
welfare and social justice in the Middle East and North Africa.
Key Speakers:
Professor Jane Millar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research),
University of Bath.
Dr. Zafiris Tzannatos, Senior Consultant for Strategy and
Policy, Beirut, Lebanon
Ms Ghada Waly, Minister of Social Affairs, Egypt
Ms Charlotte Morris, Middle East Programme Manager, DFID,
UK
Dr Adel Abdellatif, Chief Regional Programme Division, UNDP
Regional Bureau for Arab States, New York, USA
Ms Ursula Kulke, Social Security Specialist, ILO Regional Office
for the Arab States, Beirut, Lebanon
Mr Samman Thapa, Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF Regional
Office for the Middle East and North Africa, Jordan
Topic Discussed:
Reforming Social Protection Programs in Egypt
Informality and Social Security in Tunisia: Diagnostic and policy
recommendations
The Clienteles social security system in Palestine
The role of equivalence scales in embedding social equity in income
taxes in Egypt
Womens social and human rights in Kurdistan (Iraq)
AKP Governments and Women in Turkey
Beyond the Rentier State, Towards a New Ethic of Welfare (Social Policy
and Religion)
MF20 OR the other Arab Spring and Social Policy
A Socio-Economic Perspective into the Syrian Uprising of 2011
Social Justice Discourses and its Implementation: Egypt as a case study
2005-2013
Civil Marriage Not Civil War: Examining the wave of anti-sectarian
mobilizations in post-war Lebanon
Demographics ,Financial Markets and Growth in MENA region
Towards New Employment and Labour policies in Egypt: The
implications of the 25th of January revolution
Social Policy, Religion and Politics in Turkey
Beyond the Uprisings: Social policy when the unemployed and
uninsured become insecure
First Things First: The 3C-model of grassroots-led development and
grassroots democracy in Egypt

The Political Economy of Media in Egypt and its Effect on the

Organizational Structure and Output of Media
The Multifaceted Roles of Shia NGOs in Iraq Post 2003
Media, Islam and the Religions of the Middle East
Organizer(s): University of Balamand
Date of Conference and location: 06/05/2015 08/05/2015,
Lebanon
Overview of event:
The purpose of this conference is to invite scholars and media
professionals to examine how the development in media ownership
has impacted the portrayal of the religions of the Middle East. Of
particular interest is, of course, the impact on Islam, and the
understanding and perception of Islam by Muslems and those of other
faiths.
Conference papers will examine how the Internet, social media, the
establishment of powerful Middle East-based, or Middle East-funded
television networks have affected the perception of religion, a
particular religion, and religious communities in the Middle East, and in
the diaspora.
Topic Discussed:
Media Theory and Religion in the Middle East

Media and the Rise or Fall of Religion

Media and the Promotion of Religious Tolerance/Prejudice

Media and the Rise/ Fall of Fundamentalism

Portrayal of Religious Minorities in the Middle East

Portrayal of Islam in Western Media

Portrayal of Middle Eastern Religious Minorities in the West

Portrayal of Middle Eastern Religious Minorities in the Middle

East

Portrayal of Islam in Arab Countries

Third World Media Perceptions of Islam

Social Media and the Perception of Islam

Social Media and Religious Communities

Social Media and Religious Minorities

The Use of the Internet by Political Islam

Inter-religious Dialogue in the Media

Portrayal of Religion and Political Correctness

Anti-Islamic Promotion

Reality and Perception

Jihadist Media

Proselytizing Media