Center for the Study of the Middle East

Please join our colleagues in the Center for the Study of the Middle East for a special summer panel on the historiography of Islamic philosophy with two speakers reflecting on medieval and modern perspectives. The panel will take place on Wednesday, June 11, 12:00 pm in GISB 1060. You can also join us on Zoom. The link to register for Zoom: https://iu.zoom.us/meeting/register/EH_w5KJjQjqWF2_7PtuJHg

Ruizhi Ma, “Completion, Decline and Progress: Three Arabic Accounts of the History of Philosophy”
Prof. John Walbridge, “Islamic Philosophy in the West: A Fifty-Year Perspective"

Lunch will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Please join our colleagues in the Center for the Study of the Middle East (CSME) for a panel presentation entitled, “Meaning, Material Culture, and Machines: Scholars Share Their Research” on Thursday, April 17, 5:30-7:00 pm, GISB 2067.



Coffee, cookies, and intellectual stimulation provided. You can also join by Zoom by registering here: https://iu.zoom.us/meeting/register/bdyIEjKkT1qWkWPnVjG0vg

Please join our colleagues in the Center for the Study of the Middle East at their upcoming event:

For the next Women Scholars Talk series event, the Center for the Study of the Middle East welcomes Dr. Raha Sabet Sarvestany on Monday, April 7 @ 12:00 pm, noon (7:00 pm Helsinki time). Her talk is entitled “Othering and Hate: The Bahá’í Community’s Agency and Discourse in Iran's Transformative Era.” To register for this Zoom only event, https://iu.zoom.us/meeting/register/cCR0fkHkRMChNPhY5FAF_Q #/registration

This talk explores the resilience and agency of the Bahá’í community in Iran, challenging narratives that portray them solely as passive victims of persecution. Despite systematic exclusion and state-imposed repression, the Bahá’ís have actively contributed to Iran’s intellectual, social, and cultural transformation. Through an analysis of Bahá’í thought, collective action, and engagement in public discourse, this study examines how the community has navigated systemic marginalization while fostering social progress. By reframing religion as an epistemic agent of change, the article situates the Bahá’í experience within broader debates on faith, governance, and identity construction in religiously governed political systems. It ultimately highlights how the Bahá’í community’s commitment to justice, education, and social cohesion continues to challenge hegemonic structures of exclusion and redefine the role of religious minorities in contemporary Iran.

We hope to see you there!

The Area Studies Centers in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies are pleased to present two panel discussions featuring IU faculty to discuss Foreign Policy Under Trump: What’s Next?