[MES Forum] Summer Update

Mon Jun 26 09:55:11 EDT 2023

Dear MES Forum,

Check out what our community has been up to!

Congratulations to Johanna Sellman<https://nesa.osu.edu/people/sellman.13>! Dr. Sellman has achieved<https://oaa.osu.edu/promotion-and-tenure-approvals-2023> the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. As a faculty member of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures, she teaches courses in Arabic literature, comparative literature, literature and gender, contemporary Arab cultures, and translation studies. Her teaching draws on intercultural and critical pedagogy to create classroom spaces that are inclusive and vibrant. She recently published the book Arabic Exile Literature in Europe: Defamiliarizing Forced Migration<https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-arabic-exile-literature-in-europe.html> through Edinburgh University Press (more below).

Congratulations to Rahma Anjum, MESC Lead Intern, for receiving a prestigious fellowship to study Arabic in Morrocco this summer. The Critical Language Scholarship covers Modern Standard Arabic and local dialect language instruction while prioritizing cultural immersion. Out of over 5,000 applicants nationwide, Ms. Anjum was one of the 500 chosen to participate in the Summer 2023 cycle. As one of her projects this past semester. Ms. Anjum created the video “Higher Education and Intercultural Competence in the Workplace<https://youtu.be/B4WOvxygTw0>” which is a part of the career information on our website<https://mesc.osu.edu/students/international-careers>. Please share it with colleagues and your students.

Congratulations to Joy McCorriston! She and her colleagues received an NSF grant<https://anthropology.osu.edu/news/drs.-julie-field-pi-and-joy-mccorriston-co-pi-awarded-nsf-grant> to conduct research on prehistoric Hawaiian aquaculture. Research began this summer with a team of indigenous Hawaiians, academics, graduate students, and undergraduates. The project will utilize geoarchaeological and zooarchaeological analysis coupled with radiocarbon dating and the genetic analysis of microbes to identify particular practices and outcomes in the past. The project also seeks to build community partnership and will fund internships for Maui residents, have workdays dedicated to indigenous Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli) science. The results of the archaeological and microbial research will be integrated into resiliency plans dedicated to maintaining the fishpond and the refuge ecosystem.

Publications

The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia<https://brill.com/display/title/61413?language=en> by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Ahmad Al-Jallad is a philologist, epigraphist, and historian of language. His work focuses on the languages and writing systems of pre-Islamic Arabia and the ancient Near East. His latest book reconstructs the religion and rituals of Arabia’s pre-Islamic tribespeople. This book approaches the religion and rituals of the pre-Islamic Arabian nomads using the Safaitic inscriptions. Unlike Islamic-period literary sources, this material was produced by practitioners of traditional Arabian religion; the inscriptions are eyewitnesses to the religious life of Arabian nomads prior to the spread of Judaism and Christianity across Arabia. The author attempts to reconstruct this world using the original words of its inhabitants, interpreted through comparative philology, pre-Islamic and Islamic-period literary sources, and the archaeological context. Brill 2022.

The Gospel of Judas<https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300173260/the-gospel-of-judas/> by David Brakke

A new translation and commentary on the extracanonical Coptic text that describes Judas’ special status among Jesus’ disciples.

Since its publication in 2006, The Gospel of Judas has generated remarkable interest and debate among scholars and general readers alike. In this Coptic text from the second century C.E., Jesus engages in a series of conversations with his disciples and with Judas, explaining the origin of the cosmos and its rulers, the existence of another holy race, and the coming end of the current world order.

In this new translation and commentary, David Brakke addresses the major interpretive questions that have emerged since the text’s discovery, exploring the ways that The Gospel of Judas sheds light on the origins and development of gnostic mythology, debates over the Eucharist and communal authority, and Christian appropriation of Jewish apocalyptic eschatology. The translation reflects new analyses of the work’s genre and structure, and the commentary and notes provide thorough discussions of the text’s grammar and numerous lacunae and ambiguities.
Persistent Pastoralism: Monuments and Settlements in the Archaeology of Dhofar<https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803274539> by Joy McCorriston
A summary of archaeological teamwork along the Dhofar plateau and its backslope into the Nejd of Southern Oman, this book documents survey and excavation of small-scale stone monuments and pastoral settlements. Whether used as burial places, as landmarks, as mnemonic devices, or for other purposes, monuments are the enduring and prominent traces of desert pastoralists. In Dhofar, pastoralists constructed monuments in discrete pulses over 7500 years. Recognizing the dynamic ecosystems and climate regimes of Arabian prehistory, the author suggests that mobile pastoralists used monuments to link dispersed households into broader social communities. Furthermore, the range of practical adjustments to monuments as a consistent means of messaging among mobile people showcases the adaptive strength of Dhofar’s prehistoric inhabitants over time. A singular episode of settlement during a particularly arid period highlights the longer tradition of pastoral people on the move. With fictional vignettes to imagine the people who used these monuments, the chapters introduce archaeological analysis of the social identities, patterns of resource access, contacts, aversions, and exchanges with neighboring groups. Finally, the book underscores the rich heritage of persistent pastoralism within contemporary Oman.

World Prehistory and the Anthropocene<https://thamesandhudson.com/anthropocene-a-new-introduction-to-world-prehistory-9780500052143> by Joy McCorriston and Julie Field

A groundbreaking new textbook that brings a highly topical, environmental perspective to the story of how humans have shaped the world. Thames and Hudson relaunched the book in early April. Published in 2019, the book as already in wide use and receiving acclaim.

Arabic Exile Literature in Europe: Defamiliarizing Forced Migration<https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-arabic-exile-literature-in-europe.html> by Johanna Sellman

Since the 1990s, Arabic exile literature in Europe has increasingly become a literature written from the perspective of refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and others who are situated outside normatively defined citizenship. In this book, Johanna Sellman analyses the changing aesthetic and political dimensions of Arabic exile literature and demonstrates how frameworks such as east–west cultural encounters, political commitment and modernist understandings of exile – which were dominant in 20th-century Arabic exile literature – have been giving way to writing that explores the dynamics of forced migration and the liminal spaces of borders and borderlands

Opportunities

COIL virtual exchange learning community applications are open

Ohio State faculty and instructors interested in learning how to design a global and intercultural learning experience with international partners are encouraged to submit an application to participate in the 2023 Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)/Virtual Exchange Learning Community. The cohort will work together throughout autumn semester. A partnership between the Office of International Affairs and the Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning, the COIL learning community will support instructors in designing new global and intercultural student learning experiences in virtual modalities. The deadline to apply is July 20. Read more<https://oia.osu.edu/news/coil-virtual-exchange-learning-community-applications-are-open/>

Teaching and Learning Globally in Israel <https://globaleducation.osu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10446> - Winter Break 2023 (December 13-23)

[Bah?'? Gardens in Haifa, Israel]
This exciting global education program, open to all undergraduates and graduates, gives students the opportunity to spend part of their Winter Break in Israel! Participants will benefit from Ohio State's rich partnership with Oranim College as they explore the effective practices in inclusiveness and the value of diversity in educational settings. Questions? Please contact Jenna Azotea (azotea.1), Global Education Specialist or Program Directors: Laurie Katz (katz.124 at osu.edu<mailto:katz.124 at osu.edu>), Melissa Wilson (Wilson.370 at osu.edu<mailto:Wilson.370 at osu.edu>)

Middle East Studies Center (MESC) Updates

  *   The Middle East Studies Center (MESC) submitted a proposal for a $180,000 Title VI IRS grant to the Department of Education (Outcomes: increased funding for virtual study abroad, strengthened partnerships in Turkey).
  *   The MESC facilitated the MOA between Ohio State University and Istanbul Technical University (Outcome: strengthened relationship with important regional partner).

  *   Report: OSU/Saudi Engagements for Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs, Gil Latz (Outcome: Relationship-building with the Saudi Embassy) See attached.

Media

Episodes of Keys to Understanding the Middle East<https://u.osu.edu/keys2mideast/> with Sefa Secen and Johanna Sellman

2023-04-27 episode<https://u.osu.edu/keys2mideast/2023/05/26/2023-04-27-sefa-secen-on-security-paradigms-and-the-politics-of-forced-migration/>: Sefa Secen on Security Paradigms and the Politics of Forced Migration

This episode<https://youtu.be/FtmyFRJ-mgY> with Dr. Sefa Secen took place on April 27th 2023 covered human security in the context of forced migration with examples from the Middle East. State security focuses on borders and protecting the state as an entity. While on the other hand, human security puts the emphasis on the things that allow us to maintain our lives as human beings, such as economic security, freedom of movement, shelter, and in general the things that make our lives liveable. The two perspectives on security can contradict each other. For example when closing borders puts migrants’ lives in danger. We explored the implications of national discourses on the security of migrants in various countries, especially impacts on Syrian migrants in Turkey and Germany. Implications for immigrants’ freedom to move, freedom to work, freedom from being expelled, and other rights. Discourses can also shift public attitudes towards immigrants and their experience in host societies.

Secen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies and a research fellow on the Islamic Family Law Index Project. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University in July 2022. His general research interests include forced migration, human and minority rights, international security, the Middle East, and qualitative and multi-method research. In particular, he studies the politics of forced migration with a focus on the social construction of threat and security perceptions. His research has been published in the Journal of Global Security Studies, European Politics and Society, Muslim World Journal of Human Rights, and Forced Migration Review. He has also written in the Washington Post’s Made by History blog and E-International Relations.

2023-06-08 episode<https://u.osu.edu/keys2mideast/2023/06/20/tutmania/>: "Tutmania" and the Tutankhamun Exhibit at COSI
This episode<https://youtu.be/yFoZhk3rD6U> took place on June 8th.  We discussed the “Tutmania” phenomenon, and how popular narratives shape our views of history. The Tutankhamun exhibit is now at COSI, Columbus’s Science and Industry museum. Dr. Johanna Sellman, Associate Professor of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures, shared her knowledge of narratives and their power to shape the way we perceive the world in general and Egypt in particular. We give some background information on “Tutmania,” why its influence may still shape the way we view Tutankhamun, and how visitors can get the most out of this spectacular exhibit at COSI by adopting a more critical view. Rahma Anjum, Lead Intern of the Middle East Studies Center, conducted much of the interview.

Did we miss anything? Do you have news you would like to share? Please get in contact with Melinda McClimans mcclimans.2 at osu.edu<mailto:mcclimans.2 at osu.edu> and we will include your item in the next issue.

We need your input! What would you like our events to look like this Fall?
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To keep closer track of these updates and for reminders about upcoming public events, follow the Center’s Twitter feed: mesc_OSU<https://twitter.com/mesc_osu>

Thanks so much for being a part of our community!

Best wishes,

[The Ohio State University]
Melinda McClimans, PhD
Assistant Director
International Affairs Middle East Studies Center
145 Enarson Classroom Building, 2009 Milikin Rd, Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6506 / 614-974-4331Mobile
go.osu.edu/melindamcclimanszoom<https://go.osu.edu/melindamcclimanszoom>
mcclimans.2 at osu.edu<mailto:mcclimans.2 at osu.edu> / mesc.osu.edu<https://mesc.osu.edu/>
Pronouns: she/her/hers / Honorific: Dr.
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