2. Lecture Series
The Qatar FIFA World Cup in November and December 2022 in Qatar will be the first such tournament in the Middle East. The Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Lecture Series will cover the implications of staging one of the world’s largest sporting events on the social, political, and economic development of Qatar as well as on regional and global affairs.
Lectures:
Reflections on the World Cup 2022 and the Role of Sport in Qatar’s Future Development? March 6, 2023
In this panel, we reflect on how the World Cup impacted Qatar’s politics and society and its relations with other nations in the region and internationally. We also discuss the role of sport in Qatar’s future development
Panelists: Danyel Reiche, Alexandra Chalat, and Zaid Mosawy
Moderator: Suzi Mirgani
To watch the video, click here.
FIFA World Cup 2022: A World Cup for Qatar of the Middle East? October 24, 2022
In 2010, Qatar won the bid to become the first ever Middle Eastern and Arab country to host a FIFA World Cup. Even though all 32 teams will be hosted in Qatar and all 64 games will be played in local stadiums, the state is emphasizing the broader regional character of the event. Join us for a panel discussion on the tournament’s impact on neighboring countries and its effect on regional relations.
Panelists: Irene Theodoropoulou, Hissa Al-Kubaisi, and Danyel Reiche
Moderator: Suzi Mirgani
To watch the video, click here.
The World Cup and Women’s Empowerment in Qatar. August 29, 2022
In 2010, Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Only two years later in 2012, the first Qatari woman competed in the Olympic Games. This panel discussion will look at the impact of hosting the first World Cup in the Middle East on women’s participation in sports, as well as their rights and lived experiences in the country.
Panelists: Zarqa Parvez Abdullah, Afraa Al-Noaimi, Susan Dun
Moderator: Danyel Reiche
To watch the video, click here.
How Has the FIFA World Cup 2022TM Changed Qatar? March 20, 2022
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.
Featuring: Amal Al-Malki, Gerd Nonneman, Alexis Antoniades, Haya Al-Noaimi, Max Tuñón, Danyel Reiche
To watch the video, click here.
Who Belongs to a Country? National Representation and Identity at the FIFA World Cup 2022, February 2, 2022
The FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games are two of the most significant international sporting events, with the winter edition of the Olympic Games starting in Beijing two days after our panel. So naturally, during this time, 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 sport? While a vast majority of France’s winning World Cup squad in 2018 was immigrants, many players born in France represented other countries such as Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. Likewise, Qatar’s football history is filled with naturalized players such as Sebastian Soria, Roderigo Tabata, and Fábio César. However, in the Qatar national team that won the 2019 AFC Asian Championship, most players were born and raised in the country, many of them being the sons of immigrants. Join the CIRS panel to listen to discussions about national teams and the national identity of players.
Panelists: Zahra Babar, Gijs van Campenhout, Ross Griffin, Edward J. Kolla, Peter Spiro
Moderator: Danyel Reiche
To watch the video, click here.
Reducing Islamophobic Attitudes? The Effect of Mohamed Salah and the World Cup 2022, Salma Mousa, October 18, 2021
Salma Mousa is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University. An Egyptian scholar of migration, conflict, and social cohesion, Salma typically partners with governments and NGOs in the Middle East and beyond to explore these questions. Her research has been published in Science and the American Political Science Review, and profiled by The Economist and PBS NOVA. She received her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University in 2020, and her BSFS in International Politics from Georgetown University in Qatar.
To watch the video and read about the lecture, click here.
The FIFA World Cup: Football, Citizenship, and National Identity 1930-2022- Gijsbert Oonk, March 21, 202
Gijsbert Oonk, Director of the Sport and Nation research program at Erasmus University Rotterdam, discussed his study exploring the relationship between national belonging, acquiring citizenship, and migration. Taking high profile examples from international sports events, he unveiled the complexities behind the question: who may represent the nation?
To watch the video and read about the lecture, click here.
The Away Game: Qatar’s Search for Football’s Next Superstars – Sebastian Abbot, February, 14, 2021
Sebastian Abbot is the author of The Away Game: The Epic Search for Football’s Next Superstars, which tells the story of the largest talent search in football history. The book was a finalist for The Telegraph Football Book of the Year and the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. Prior to publishing the book, Mr. Abbot spent over a half dozen years working as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in the Middle East and Asia. He has also worked for over a decade in investment banking and private equity for firms like J.P. Morgan and Affiliated Managers Group. Mr. Abbot has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
To watch the video and read about the lecture, click here.
Qatar´s Football Journey: From First Games on Sand to Hosting the World as Asian Champions – Matthias Krug, November 16, 2020
Matthias Krug is an author and journalist who was born and raised in Qatar, where he lives with his family. Matthias has written extensively about football, society, politics, and culture for over 18 years for some of the biggest publications around the world, including for the BBC, CNN, ESPN, The Huffington Post, The Irish Examiner, Al Jazeera English, 442, El Pais, Arts Monthly Australia, and many others. His most recent book is titled Journeys on a Football Carpet, published by HBKU Press in Qatar, won awards at the International Book Awards and Living Now Awards. His creative short stories have been published in literary magazines across numerous countries.
To watch the video and read about the lecture, click here.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar in Historical Perspective – David Goldblatt, October 6, 2020
British sociologist, journalist, and bestselling author David Goldblatt surveyed the economics, politics, and urban development that have accompanied the upcoming event and compared them to past World Cups in this first lecture of the series.
To watch the video and read about the lecture, click here.