Middle East Studies Center Event

Middle Eastern American Identities

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Mershon Center for International Security Studies
1501 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43201

To register for this event, RSVP on the Office of Internationat Affairs Event Registration Page. You are welcome to attend one or all of the sections listed below. For more information, please contact the Middle East Studies Center at mesc@osu.edu.

Overview
Over the course of the 20th century the number of Americans who trace their ancestry to the Middle East has grown substantially and their ranks have become far more diverse. Today roughly half are Arab Americans and the other half are non-Arab, including Armenians, Iranians, Israelis, Turks, and others. The Middle Eastern umbrella category conceals a host of complex and multi-dimensional communities that challenge current notions about panethnic identity.

Program

Part 1: Introduction and History
Alam Payind, Director of The Middle East Studies Center
The Ohio State University
Noon
**Please note: Lunch will not be provided.
 
Part 2: Middle Eastern Americans: Subethnic, Ethnic or Panethnic?
Mehdi Bozorgmehr
Department of Sociology
Middle East and Middle East American Center
Graduate Center, City University of New York
12:30 p.m.

Part 3: Teaching About Middle Eastern Americans
Jonathan Friedlander
UCLA and Middle Eastern American Resources Online (MEARO)
1:30 p.m.

Part 3: Amreeka Film Screening followed by Q&A session
3:00 p.m.

Alam Payind
Director
Middle East Studies Center
The Ohio State University


Mehdi Bozorgmehr
Professor of Sociology
City College of New York
Co-Director
Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center