Events & Activities
The Center for International and Regional Studies sponsors public lectures by leading experts in international affairs as well as research-focused Working Group meetings, among other scholarly events.
Previous Events
Global Perspectives on Slavery and Freedom on Film
April 13, 2022
About the event: The webinar was a concluding panel discussion for our Cinematic Afterlives film series and aimed to discuss the stakes and challenges of portraying slavery and abolition through film from different perspectives and geographic contexts.
“Harriet” Film Screening and Discussion
March 22, 2022
About the event: This event was part of the Cinematic Afterlives: Film and Memory in the Black Atlantic research project and part of the Race and Society research cluster at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. Organized by Professor Trish Kahle, this initiative is more than a film series and aims to create a space for social engagement with cinema and the history of slavery in the Black Atlantic, using a variety of lectures and panels, film screenings, and audience discussions. The project also encourages greater public attention to the connections between histories and afterlives of slavery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
How Has the FIFA World Cup 2022 Changed Qatar?
March 20, 2022
About the event: Ever since Qatar was awarded the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2022TM in December 2010, the small state has been criticized for its human rights record in Western media, particularly by British newspapers. In our panel, we will discuss the changes that have taken place in Qatar in the last decade and the challenges that remain. We will also focus on migrant workers and women’s rights and how staging the world’s most remarkable sporting event has impacted the diversification of Qatar’s natural gas dependent economy, and its relations with other countries in the region and worldwide.
This lecture is part of “Building A Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022” research initiative
“Adanggaman” Film Screening and Discussion
March 8, 2022
About the event: This event was part of the Cinematic Afterlives: Film and Memory in the Black Atlantic research project and part of the Race and Society research cluster at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. Organized by Professor Trish Kahle, this initiative is more than a film series and aims to create a space for social engagement with cinema and the history of slavery in the Black Atlantic, using a variety of lectures and panels, film screenings, and audience discussions. The project also encourages greater public attention to the connections between histories and afterlives of slavery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
“Tula: The Revolt” Film Screening and Discussion
February 15, 2022
About the event: This event was part of the Cinematic Afterlives: Film and Memory in the Black Atlantic research project and part of the Race and Society research cluster at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. Organized by Professor Trish Kahle, this initiative is more than a film series and aims to create a space for social engagement with cinema and the history of slavery in the Black Atlantic, using a variety of lectures and panels, film screenings, and audience discussions. The project also encourages greater public attention to the connections between histories and afterlives of slavery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
“Who Belongs to a Country? National Representation and Identity at the FIFA World Cup 2022”
February 2, 2022
About the event: Questions around national identity and belonging are becoming a much-discussed issue, culminating in the question: Who qualifies and deserves to belong to a specific nation in international sporting events? While a vast majority of France’s winning World Cup squad in 2018 were immigrants, many players born in France have also represented other countries such as Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. Likewise, Qatar’s football history is filled with naturalized players, including Sebastian Soria, Roderigo Tabata, and Fábio César. However, on the national team that won the 2019 AFC Asian Championship, most players were born and raised in Qatar. Join the CIRS panel for a discussion on national teams and the national identity of their players.
This lecture is part of “Building A Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022” research initiative
“Daughters of the Dust” Film Screening and Discussion
February 1, 2022
About the event: This event was part of the Cinematic Afterlives: Film and Memory in the Black Atlantic research project and part of the Race and Society research cluster at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. Organized by Professor Trish Kahle, this initiative is more than a film series and aims to create a space for social engagement with cinema and the history of slavery in the Black Atlantic, using a variety of lectures and panels, film screenings, and audience discussions. The project also encourages greater public attention to the connections between histories and afterlives of slavery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
“La Ultima Cena” Film Screening and Discussion
January 18, 2022
About the event: This event was part of the Cinematic Afterlives: Film and Memory in the Black Atlantic research project and part of the Race and Society research cluster at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar. Organized by Professor Trish Kahle, this initiative is more than a film series and aims to create a space for social engagement with cinema and the history of slavery in the Black Atlantic, using a variety of lectures and panels, film screenings, and audience discussions. The project also encourages greater public attention to the connections between histories and afterlives of slavery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
“Energy Aesthetics: New Directions in Studying the Cultural Life of Oil”
November 29, 2021
About the panel: This event was part of the Energy Humanities research initiative. This research initiative is a project under the CIRS Environmental Studies thematic cluster, and aims to provide new understandings of the influence and impacts of energy in everyday lives and stimulate new conversations in the scholarship.
“The FIFA World Reducing Islamophobic Attitudes? The Effect of Mohamed Salah and the World Cup 2022”
October 18, 2021
About the Lecture: Can exposure to celebrities from stigmatized groups reduce prejudice? To address this question, we study the case of Mohamed Salah, an elite soccer player. An original survey experiment suggests that the salience of Salah’s Muslim identity enabled positive feelings toward Salah to generalize to Muslims more broadly. Our findings provide support for the parasocial contact hypothesis—indicating that positive exposure to out-group celebrities can spark real-world behavioral changes in prejudice.
This lecture is part of “Building A Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022” research initiative
“Activism in Exile Diasporic Communities in the Wake of the Arab Uprisings”
September 30, 2021
This event was part of the collective project “Ten Years On: Mass Protests and Uprisings in the Arab World”. For this project, CIRS is partnering with the Arab Studies Institute, Princeton’s Arab Barometer, George Mason’s Middle East and Islamic Studies Program, Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, AUB’s Asfari Institute, Arab Council for the Social Sciences, Brown University’s Center for Middles East Studies, UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Middles East Studies, Harvard’s Center for Middle East Studies, University of Exeter’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Birzeit University, Standford’s Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law, AUC Affiliates, The Global Academy (MESA Affiliated), and the Institute of Palestine Studies. Read More
Dialogue Series
CIRS’s Dialogue Series is designed to present interested community members with a forum for quiet, thoughtful dialogue with scholars about their latest academic endeavors and their research agendas. CIRS invites a leading scholar to discuss his or her latest work and research interests with community members.
Focused Discussions
Through its Focused Discussions, CIRS provides an intellectual forum for academics, diplomats, and opinion-leaders to engage with both students and the public on a particular topic of interest.
Panels
CIRS organizes panels throughout the year where small groups of scholars gather and discuss current issues in global affairs.
Distinguished Lectures
Several times a year, CIRS has the honor of inviting distinguished authors, academics, and respected public figures to visit Qatar and engage with the community.
CIRS Faculty Lectures
The Center for International and Regional Studies invites faculty members from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar to deliver a variety of public lectures on topics of their expertise.
CIRS Faculty Research Workshops
The Center for International and Regional Studies invites faculty members from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar to deliver a variety of workshops on topics of their expertise.