Title: “Empire in the Middle East and the Maghreb: The Shaping of Hopes and Perspectives”,

Venue and Date: Oxford 13 & 14 September 2021 (Pandemic permitting)

The aim of this conference is to examine how European colonialism and great power rivalry in the Middle East and North Africa have shaped the perspectives of the peoples in these countries and their hopes for their future. Besides the European powers that established their colonial hegemony in these countries, the conference will also deal with the influence of countries, such as the United States of America and Germany, which extended their influence through diplomacy, financial and military aid, and education.

The chronological framework of the conference extends from the mid eighteenth century, when the political leaders of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa became aware of the Europeans’ economic and military ascendency, through the building of European colonial empires in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, to the collapse at first of the western European colonial empires towards the middle of the twentieth century and then of the Soviet “empire” late in this century.

This theme, then, should invite original papers dealing with various aspects of the question of how colonial rule, and its demise, has shaped the perceptions of one another held by the colonial powers and the colonised peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. They should also deal, besides the influence the colonial structures had on the political systems that emerged in these countries, with debates and conflicts that came to the fore in them in the post-colonial period.

Special significance should be given to the means by which Muslims affirmed in this period their attachment to Islamic norms and pride in Islamic civilisation, and the challenge they posed to the creation of western systems of government in their countries. Related to this issue is the Westerners’ fear that the presence of growing numbers of Muslims in their countries would lead to the intrusion of Islamic political and family norms in their societies. An equally significant issue that should be dealt with is the prospect of the replacement of the authoritarian regimes that emerged in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa in the postcolonial period by truly democratic systems of government that promote the rule of law, freedom of discussion and the emergence of civil societies.

Proposal submission and Abstracts: The deadline for the submission of proposals and abstracts, which should be no more than 150 words, is 30 April 2021.

All applicants will be told whether or not their proposal has been accepted by 29 May 2021.

Abstracts can be submitted by email in Word format. Submissions should be by email to maghreb@maghrebreview.com

Priority will be given to Maghreb Review International Editorial Board and paid-up members of The Maghreb Studies Association. To qualify you must be a paid up member for at least 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Proceedings of the conference: The organisers intend to publish the papers presented at this conference in The Maghreb Review, so it is a condition that speakers will subsequently submit their papers by end of December 2021.

NOTE: 1. If your proposal is selected, The Maghreb Review and The Maghreb Studies Association will provide your accommodation for 3 nights and lunch and dinner during the conference.

2 Proceedings of the conference: The papers presented at this conference will be published in The Maghreb Review, so it is a condition of proposal submission that speakers agree to supply a final version of their papers by the end of December 2021 for publication in The Maghreb Review in March 2022

Language: The conference will be in English or French