Touted as the first of its kind in California, the Conference on Middle East Studies will attempt to expose students, faculty and the general public to the many facets of the Middle East’s culture this weekend.

José Díaz, Ph.D., associate dean of the college of arts and humanities, said that this conference is different from others held on the topic.

“Ours is unique in that it teaches about the Middle East,” Díaz said. “It’s the first conference on the west coast that focuses on the pedagogy of Middle East studies.”

The conference, which began last evening and will continue through Saturday evening, is scheduled to host 13 panel discussions, two keynote addresses, an art exhibit and two musical performances.

“The primary objective of the conference is to explore the constructions and contextualizations of the modern Middle East through artistic, literary, historical, religious, sociological and political works,” Sasan Fayazmanesh, economics professor and program committee chair for the conference, said.

“It’s not all that dry as it sounds,” Díaz said, laughing. “The benefit of having a conference like this on our campus is that it provides students the opportunity to gain insight into a culture different from theirs.”

He said that while students may not find cultural awareness of great value now, such knowledge will probably benefit them down the road in their working lives as businesses and society become more globally focused.

Though financial issues are now receiving more media coverage than the Middle East is, Fayazmanesh said the Middle East is probably going to reemerge as the more important issue soon, making the dynamics of this area of the world important for students to understand.

“It appears that the Middle East will be the focus of the U.S. foreign policy as well as economic policy in the future,” Fayazmanesh said. “The turmoil in the Middle East rattles the prices in the energy markets and contributes to the financial instability of the world.”

If students can only attend one part of the conference, Díaz recommended Friday night’s keynote speech by Juan Cole, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan. The speech, entitled “Making Iraq Understandable” will cover a broad range of topics relating to Arabic society.

A panel discussion Saturday morning will tackle the theme, “What the Future Has in Store for the Middle East.” Cole will focus on how the election of a new U.S. president will affect Iraq. Fayazmanesh will talk about how Obama’s and McCain’s advisors’ policies could affect Iran. Eric Hooglund, Ph.D., from Bates College in Maine, will talk about how the U.S. elections will affect Israeli-Palestinian relations. Haleh Afshar, Ph.D., will discuss the European Union’s policies about Iran.

It will be moderated by Afshin Matin, Ph.D., a history professor from California State University, Los Angeles. Afshar, who gave Thursday’s keynote speech about feminism in Islamic culture, is a professor at the University of York in York, England. He has received the Order of the British Empire and is a member of the House of Lords, one of the houses of Parliament.

“It really is an international conference,” Díaz said.

He said that California State University, Fresno’s central location has made it possible to open the conference to so many.

“We’re very excited that this event is taking place here,” Díaz said. “It draws attention to this institution.”

The conference is presented by the Middle East Studies Project, part of the college of arts and humanities.

Upcoming events:

Student registration for the entire weekend is $25.

• To register visit www.csufresno.edu/mesp/news_events/me_conference/ registration.shtml.

• Scholarships funds are still available through the Central Valley Cultural Heritage institute and may be applied for at www.csufresno.edu/cvchi/

Friday:

8:30 – 10 a.m.: Quests and Conquests: Visual and Performance Arts and the Pursuit of Identity in the Modern Middle East (panel)

8:30 – 10 a.m.: Diaspora, Culture and Identity (panel)

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Minorities in the Middle East (panel)

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m: Palestinian Diaspora (panel)

2 – 3:30 p.m.: Narrating the Legacies of Colonial and Imperial Encounter Literature of the Modern Middle East (panel)

2 – 3:30 p.m.: Teaching “Middle East” (panel)

3:30 – 5 p.m.: Reception and film

5 – 6:30 p.m. Juan Cole, Ph.D. (keynote speech)

8 p.m.: Lian Ensemble

Saturday:

8:30 – 10 a.m.: Research in the History and Historiography of the Middle East (panel)

8:30 – 10 a.m.: Research on Comparative Middle Eastern Religions (panel)

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: What the Future Has in Store for the Middle East (plenary session)

2 – 3:30p.m.: De-mystifying “Middle East” in the Classroom (panel)

2 – 3:30p.m.: Studies in Language and Literature (panel)

4 – 5:30 p.m.: Arab Melodies, Arab Music Videos, Middle Easter Rhythms, and Middle Easter Dance: Understanding Aspects of Present-Day Performance Practices (panel)

4 – 5:30 p.m.: US, Iran and Iraq

7:30 – 10 p.m.: University of California, Santa Barbara, Middle East Ensemble

Additional reporting by Tiffany Olguin