UW Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures - MELC

Do you check MELC Summer offerings? There are some spots for grabs in this one: INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY ARABIC

If you’ve been thinking about learning Arabic, or take your skills in first year Arabic to the next level, this is the moment.

Arabic is at its best when taught intensively. This course is designed to immerse you, build momentum, and help you actually retain what you learn.

You don’t have to give up your routine to do it:
Flexible participation: join in person or on Zoom. You can still keep up with other commitments

And perhaps most importantly, this is one of the rare opportunities to study Intensive Arabic with a single primary instructor, ensuring continuity, coherence, and real progress.

Opportunities like this don’t come around often. Don’t miss it.

Erdoğan’s Tears: Populist Performances and Emotions in AKP's Turkey.
Senem Aslan
Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2026, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Thomson Hall 317

Focusing on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s public displays of crying, this talk examines what these moments signify, and why his supporters interpret them as authentic, drawing on insights from focus group discussions. It situates these performances within Erdoğan’s increased reliance on populist discourse and style, arguing that these emotional and performative dynamics have been central to mobilizing support and maintaining the cohesion of his constituency. In doing so, the talk shows how such strategies have contributed to the consolidation of an authoritarian regime sustained by popular backing, particularly in moments when legitimacy is under strain.

About the speaker

Senem Aslan is professor of Politics at Bates College in Maine. She earned her Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Washington. She is the author of Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. Her recent book manuscript is on populism and the politics of emotions in Turkey.

Organized by Jackson School of International Studies at University of Washington
https://jsis.washington.edu/middleeast/events/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D200035960&eventid=200035960

YOU ARE INVITED!
Please mark your calendars for this MELC Signature Lecture Series.

See more details and free to register through this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Sg17baedB/

MO HABIB TRANSLATION PRIZE IN PERSIAN LITERATURE

CALL FOR TRANSLATIONS FROM PERSIAN

MELC calls for submissions for the third cycle of the Mo Habib Translation Prize in Persian Literature. Established in partnership with the Mo Habib Memorial Foundation and Deep Vellum Publishing in 2022, the prize seeks to enable the publication and dissemination of Persian literary works that stand on their own in engaging English translation.
Hajar Hussaini won the last cycle for translating a collection of poems by Maral Taheri, to be published in May 2027. The inaugural winner was Dr. Michelle Quay whose translation of Reza Ghassemi’s Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime is forthcoming on March 17. Order your copy now!

The third cycle will focus on prose (any genre or period, from the 10th century CE to the present day).
The winning translator will receive a total prize of $10,000, awarded as follows:
$2,000 upon announcement of the award (December 2026)
$8,000 upon submission of the completed manuscript (by March 2027)

In addition to the monetary award, Deep Vellum Publishing commits to publishing the winning translation. Please submit the following materials in a single PDF file by September 1, 2026:

A two-page cover letter that describes the work to be translated and speaks to its larger import. Has this work been translated into English before? How does your translation compare to previous translations? The cover letter should also contain a short commentary (no more than 300 words) on the applicant’s approach to the translation of the work: expected obstacles, your plans for rendering the formal aspects of the original text in English, etc.
An up-to-date CV (no more than 3 pages)
A bilingual sample of the proposed translation (between 10 and 15 pages, double spaced, in both languages, total of 20-30 pages)
Proof of copyrights
All applicants must obtain translation permission from the author (if applicable) and receive proof of copyright from the rights holder (if not the same as the author)

Note that sample translations as well as the final manuscript must be the unique creation of the applicant and should not replicate or significantly mirror other translators’ work or computer-generated automatic translations, such as Chat-GPT. All translations are scrutinized for plagiarism, and the award administrators retain the authority to disqualify any submissions suspected of including plagiarized material.

Important deadlines
Submission deadline
September 1, 2026
Award announcement
December 2026
Final manuscript due
March 2027
Publication (projected)
Spring 2028

The Mo Habib Memorial Foundation celebrates the life and legacy of Mohammad Habib by supporting education, culture, and the arts in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Born in Tehran in 1952, he moved to the U.S. in 1970 to attend college, eventually obtaining his BS and MS in Engineering and Construction Management from the University of Washington. For forty years, he worked as a project manager and structural engineer. Mohammad is survived by his wife, Superior Court Judge Susan Amini, and his son, Cyrus Habib, who served as the state’s 16th Lieutenant Governor prior to leaving public life to become a Jesuit.

Deep Vellum is a nonprofit publishing house and literary arts organization with the mission to bring the world into conversation through literature. Founded in 2013, Deep Vellum has expanded to encompass five distinct publishing imprints, including Dalkey Archive Press, and is now the largest publisher of translated literature in the United States (see here).

FAQ

- I already have a contract with a different publisher, could I still apply?
No. The winning translation is to be published by Deep Vellum, so you may not have entered into a contract with a different publisher.

- My project will not be complete by May 2027, may I still apply?
We warmly encourage you to apply for another cycle. Our projected timeline for this cycle is submission of the final manuscript by no later than May 2027.

- Could I propose a prose anthology in translation?
Yes, we welcome anthologies.

- What will the fourth cycle focus on and when will it be announced?
We are currently in the inshallah phase of the fourth cycle.

All inquiries should be directed to Aria Fani ([email protected]). Artwork by Amelia Ossorio, Seattle based illustrator and MELC graduate.

University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences
University of Washington Libraries
The Seattle Public Library

UW NELC (now MELC) MA, UW History PhD Dr. Dr. Stephan Kamola with Dr. Jonathan Brack on Khamseen’s recent episode.

UW Department of History
Simpson Center for the Humanities at UW

Over the next few days we will be focusing on ✡️☪️ To start us off, we feature Rashid al-Din, the author of the Compendium of Chronicles (Jami‘ al-Tawarikh).

Join Dr. Jonathan Brack and Dr. Stefan Kamola as they dive into the life and works of a Persian author-administrator from a Jewish background. https://myumi.ch/bVxQ6

Image: Alexander the Great enters the Land of Darkness, Rashid al-Din, Jami‘ al-Tawarikh (Compendium of Chronicles), Tabriz, Iran, 1314 CE. Edinburgh University Library, Ms. Arab. 20, fol. 19r.

Seattle Turkish Film Festival & University of Washington Turkish & Ottoman Studies present...

Turkish Cinema through an artist's lens: Zuhal Olcay.
In Conversation with UW Professor Melike Yücel-Koç.

Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, 6 – 7 p.m.
Johnson Hall, Room 102 - University of Washington, Seattle
Register: https://melc.washington.edu/calendar?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D191995374

Join us for an extraordinary evening celebrating the art and legacy of Turkish cinema through the lens of one of its most acclaimed performers — Zuhal Olcay.

Drawing on a remarkable career that spans decades, Olcay reflects on her unforgettable performances in the Turkish cinema, sharing the stories and experiences that have shaped her journey as an artist.

Through conversation, insight, and reflection, the evening explores themes of women’s voices, artistic freedom, and creative resilience, offering a rare and intimate portrait of an artist whose work continues to bridge cultures, generations, and forms of expression.

Congratulations MELC Class of 2025

Saturday, June 7 at 7:00 PM, Peyvand and the BHS MENA Club will present a live concert by NAMĀD Ensemble with Mahbobe Golzari at the Bellevue Performing Arts Center.

Admission is donation-based (suggested: $35) so everyone can enjoy the concert and no one will be turned away.

Address: 10416 SE Wolverine Way, Bellevue, WA 98004
RSVP required. Link: https://tinyurl.com/mhuxypx5

NAMĀD Ensemble performs Persian Classical Music, a deeply expressive, poetic tradition that transcends language and speaks directly to the universal human experience.

Whether this is your first introduction to Persian music or you’ve grown up with its sound in your soul, you are welcome, and your presence will help complete the experience.

May 22 | Turkish Movie Night!

Autumn Quarter 2025 | Registration opens May 8!

Here are some of our upcoming courses. A complete listing of our courses here:
https://melc.washington.edu/courses