Speakers: Anne Pasek, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural Studies and the School of the Environment at Trent University Cajetan Iheka, Associate Professor of English at Yale University Caren Irr, Professor of English at Brandeis University Moderators: Victoria Googasian, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University- Qatar. Trish Kahle, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University- Qatar. Firat Oruc,…
Film Synopsis:On a Cuban sugar plantation in the 1790s, a count casts himself as Jesus Christ to re-enact the Catholic holy week with twelve of the men he is enslaving, until, on Good Friday, the enslaved people on the plantation revolt. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s masterpiece was part of the new Latin American Cinema of the…
Film Synopsis:Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-The women of the Peazant family struggle with a decision which will remake their relationship with their heritage and with each other. Julie Dash’s groundbreaking 1991 film tells the story of generational change in…
Panelists: Zahra Babar, Gijs van Campenhout, Ross Griffin, Edward J. Kolla, and Peter Sprio Moderator: Danyel Reiche The panel discussion explored critical issues such as the recruitment and naturalisation of top foreign athletes, a practice that is making national dreams come true, but also stirring public debate around sports and national identity. Centering on Qatar's role in shaping the global conversation…
Film Synopsis:On Curaçao in the Dutch West Indies, Tula leads a revolt. The enslaved people who seized their freedom on the island in 1795 would be brutally repressed and slavery reimposed, but today the revolt is recognized as being the beginning of the end of slavery in the Dutch Caribbean. Leinders' film features actor Danny…
Film Synopsis:In West Africa during the late 17th century, King Adanggaman leads a war against his neighboring tribes, ordering his soldiers to torch enemy villages, kill the elderly and capture the healthy tribesmen to sell to the European slave traders. When his village falls prey to one of Adanggaman's attacks, Ossei manages to escape, but…
On March 9-10, 2022, CIRS convened the first Working Group under its newly launched research initiative on Qatar’s World Cup Goals: Moving from the Periphery to the Center. The meeting was held as a hybrid event, allowing for both virtual and in-person participation. The goal of the working group was to bring together scholars from…
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…
Film Synopsis:The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. Content Warning: violence & gore, cruelty, torture, profanity, alcohol consumption, frightening. Rated R, PG 18+ Free Screening LOCATION: To be updated closer…
Mediterranea Film Synopsis:The film depicts the Africans’ interaction with Italians, and their lives as migrant workers, which includes friendships and animosities, boredom, and temptation. Content Warning: violence, gore, profanity, alcohol and drugs consumption, smoking, frightening & intense scenes, sex & nudity, PG 18+ Al-Sit Film Synopsis:In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old Nafisa has a…
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. Speakers: Alyssa Sepinwall (California State University San Marcos), Dexter Gabriel (University of Connecticut), Parisa Vaziri (Cornell University) , and Firat Oruc…
On May 24, 2022, the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University Qatar convened the first working group under its Energy and Affect Theory research project. The working group, led by GU-Q faculty members Trish Kahle, Firat Oruc, and Victoria Googasian, was held virtually and brought together multidisciplinary scholars to discuss their paper…