The CIRS Panel on "The Evolution of Basketball in the Middle East," was held on May 29, 2025, at Georgetown University Hilltop Campus in Washington, D.C., and is an extension of the CIRS research initiative on "America’s Game in the Middle East: the 2027 Qatar Basketball World Cup." Missionaries, merchants and military brought the game…
On May 29 and 30, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted its second research workshop as part of the initiative on America’s Game in the Middle East: The 2027 Qatar Basketball World Cup. Over two days, participating scholars and experts engaged in dynamic discussions that addressed a range of critical themes,…
On September 1, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) held an open house for GU-Q students, faculty, and staff to learn more about CIRS, the CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement (CURA) program, and the different ways students can be involved in the Center’s work. Over 25 attendees met CIRS staff members and listened…
On September 11, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies hosted a CURA research workshop titled “From Idea to Impact: Making Political Art Across Mediums.” The session took place at Georgetown University in Qatar and was led by Khalid Albaih, Artist in Residence at Georgetown University in Qatar. The workshop guided students from identifying…
As part of GU-Q's Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS collaborated with Qatar Musuem's General Collection department to showcase some their Sudanese jewelry collection and original archival photographs. Curated by Ala Kheir, Nisreen Kuku, and Tatyana Mirghani, the exhibition is an endeavour to reconnect, reclaim, and reimagine the Sudanese archive. Born from a…
As part of GU-Q's Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS hosted a community lunch led by pharmacist-turned-chef Omer Al Tigani. The lunch talk was an exploration of how Sudanese food serves as an archive of memory, identity, and cultural continuity in times of upheaval. Omer will walk us through the history and origins of Sudanese cuisine, reflecting…
In Sudan, a war too often ignored has torn apart lives, crippled institutions, and forced more than thirteen million people from their homes. A humanitarian crisis ravages the present and threatens both past and future, jeopardizing a rich cultural legacy. SEEING SUDAN: POLITICS THROUGH ART will convene a historic gathering of academics, artists, and activists to examine the relationship between sociopolitical…
As part of GU-Q's Seeing Sudan: Politics Through Art Hiwaraat Conference, CIRS inaugurated the second edition of Sudan Retold exhibition and book launch on September 19, 2025, in partnership with Almas Art Foundation and Alhosh Gallery. Curated and edited by Suzi Mirgani, Khalid Albaih, Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Rahiem Shaddad, the project explores Sudanese intellectual achievement…
On September 21, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted its second workshop for the "(Re)Collecting Sudan: Art and Culture Archives" research initiative. This workshop served as a platform for project contributors to engage in detailed discussions and receive constructive feedback on their submitted papers. To ensure a thorough review process and…
The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted a thought-provoking book talk with Professor Hasan Mahmud, author of Remittance as Belonging: Global Migration, Transnationalism, and the Quest for Home (Rutgers University Press). Moderated by Zahra Babar and Professor Amanda Garrett, the conversation delved into the moral, social, and emotional dimensions of remittances, reimagining them…
"The Anticipation Gap: South Asian Students in Georgia and the Intersecting Burdens of Discrimination and Aspiration" and “Echoes of Martial Law: Memory, Politics, and the Marcos Restoration in the Philippines” On October 27, 2025, two student researchers who received Georgetown University in Qatar research grants presented their research findings and methodologies as part of CURA…
From October 30 to November 1, 2025, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Georgetown University in Qatar (GUQ) hosted a workshop under its research initiative, Sudan in the Picture: Research on Sudanese Cinema. The gathering brought together a diverse group of scholars, academics, artists, filmmakers, and practitioners from across the globe to…