Hello everyone and Happy New Year!
I hope the new year and new semester find you well, and I hope you are enjoying working with new (and returning) students in your classes.
I began the New Year attending the MLA convention in San Francisco, where it rained and rained and continued to rain after a long drought – not exactly for 5 years as in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it did seem never-ending! The name for these rain systems (atmospheric rivers) certainly seems fitting to the experience! Sheltered inside hotel conference rooms, I heard a lot of interesting presentations, one on racial passing and neo-passing, which resonated with the theme of Georgina Hickey’s Foundations class last semester and to which I had the honor to guest co-teach with Georgina for one day. I participated in two sessions at the MLA. In one, I gave a presentation on using Open Educational Resources (OER) in teaching world literature, and in the other I was a respondent on a panel on Arabic literature as oppositional work. And just like that, the new semester started and I was back in Dearborn teaching Introduction to Arab American Studies, where for the first time in the US for me, I have Arab-majority students. It’s a new experience that I am enjoying and that I hope to learn a lot from too! As you may know already, CAAS has now moved from the administrative care of SSCI to LCA. Thank you Georgina, Belinda, and Sue for all your administrative support, especially as I got started at CAAS in August and had a lot to learn about institutional structure and operations. Thank you to Jorge, Lori, Lisa, and Lindsey for taking us on at LCA mid-year. Already, I appreciate your support as we make this administrative shift. I feel lucky to be working at UMD, a place with a fantastic collegial work culture. There are a lot of exciting events happening at the Center for Arab American Studies at UMD in the upcoming weeks. The first one is on February 7th at 2pm and the second is on February 16th at 5pm! I hope you and your students can attend! Please find the details below.
As it is the month of January, I also want to honor and recognize MLK Day. A friend sent me a quote of one of Dr. King’s many eloquent expressions. It rings so true and it resonates so fittingly for our time. I end my message with it, with appreciation for all of you and for all the work we do to support and sustain one another at UMD and beyond. Also, if you haven't had a chance to read UMD's own Dr. Terri Laws's message on MLK's legacy, please be sure to check out her remarks, What we’re missing when we simplify MLK’s life and legacy, posted on the News of UM-Dearborn website.
"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King Jr. Why We Can’t Wait
Pauline Homsi Vinson, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor and Interim Director at the Center for Arab American Studies
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Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging edited by Ghassan Zeineddine, Nabeel Abraham, and Sally Howell made the list of the 20 books reflecting Michigan's rich cultural heritage. You can purchase the book here. Congratulations to Dr. Zeineddine and Dr. Howell!
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The Halal Metropolis team has published the first of many StoryMaps on the Muslim and Arab history of Dearborn. "Arab Americans Adapt Homes for Growing, Changing Community" focuses on the ways, and reasons why, the Arab and Muslim communities in Greater Dearborn have repurposed their basements and garages. You can view the complete StoryMap here.
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February 6, 2023 from 6pm-9pm
The Muslim Coalition and Global Islamic Studies Center are pleased to announce the unveiling of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Symposium on Islamic Thought and Civilization. CAAS's Dr. Rose Wellman will be a speaker at the event which will take place on Monday February 6th at 6pm in the Rackham Amphitheatre. Dinner will be provided.
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February 7, 2023 from 2:00pm-3:15pm
Join the students of Dr. Homsi Vinson’s Introduction to Arab American Studies course at UMD for a vibrant discussion centered on the theme of storytelling in Sajjilu Arab American: A Reader in SWANA Studies (UP, 2022). Co-editors Louise Cainkar, Pauline Homsi Vinson, and Amira Jarmakani, along with contributors Drs. Matthew Jaber Stiffler and Sally Howell will share their perspectives on the field of Arab American Studies and how the theme of storytelling helps us frame and think about it. This event is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
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February 8, 2023 from 11:30am-12:30pm
In collaboration with GSU’s Middle East Studies Center and the University of Michigan Department of Middle East Studies, the Atlanta Global Studies Center welcomes Dr. Marwa Maziad to Georgia State University.
There are many intersections between journalism, academia, and the U.S. foreign and defense policy worlds. This talk explores some of these intersections from the perspective of Dr. Marwa Maziad, an Egyptian-American journalist, scholar, and political commentator. The talks will address how the media shapes perceptions of the Middle East and offers observations from coverage in Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, and Qatar. For more information visit here.
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Deadline is January 23, 2023 (MESA) & February 1, 2023 (ASA)
The Arab American Studies Association (AASA) is inviting submissions for sponsored panels to both the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and American Studies Association (ASA) conferences, both of which will be held in November in Montreal in 2023. For eligibility, the topic of the panel should be related to Arab American Studies and at least one contributor should be a member of AASA. The AASA can sponsor up to three panels, including a thematic conversation at MESA, and two panels and one professional development/workshop session at the ASA. Please send your proposals to secretary@arabamericanstudies.org by January 23 for ASA and February 1 for MESA.
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Deadline is January 30, 2023
This summer, the University of Pittsburgh will host a new NSF-fundedsummer research program, the Mobilization and Political Economy Summer Research Program (MPE), from May 29, 2023, to July 28, 2023. This 8-week program will train students in research methods, professional development, mobilization, political economy theories, and mentorship opportunities. The program will be held on-site at the University of Pittsburgh, covering travel, lodging, and living expenses and paying participants a stipend. The application is due on 1/30 and is available at here.
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Deadline is February 13, 2023
Applications are open for the Summer Data Immersion program hosted by the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD), May 22-25, 2023. Interested individuals should complete the application using the following link: SDI Application. Applications with attached CVs should be submitted by February 13, 2023. Please contact mccfad.isr@umich.edu for any questions.
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February 16, 2023 from 5pm-6:30pm
Curious about how museums curate exhibitions? Have you wondered how historians uncover the materials on display in museums? Join CAAS as it hosts a panel of professionals who answer these questions & much more related to archives in, and of, Arab American Studies. Event is open to the public with light refreshments at the end.
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Deadlines vary
AANM is hiring! The AANM is looking for individuals who are interested in Arab American history, culture and art. Positions include a Docent, an Educator, and a Research Specialist. For more information, visit here.
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Deadlines vary
Education is a major priority area for Center for Arab American Philanthropy fund holders. By establishing scholarship funds at CAAP, donors can carry out their charitable giving and provide students with the financial means to reach their educational goals. Check out the various scholarships here.
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Deadline is February 16, 2023
The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. For those who know of anyone working on the Great Lakes, scuh as the individuals involved in Yemenis on the Great Lakes project, this is a great opportunity. For information on how to apply, visit here.
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Deadline is Spring 2023
The Michigan Sea Grant offers one- or two- year fellowships for graduate students enrolled full-time at Michigan universities who are interested in research relevant to current Great Lakes issues. This fellowship provides support for a student’s research and enhances academic and professional development opportunities. For those who know of anyone working on the Great Lakes, scuh as the individuals involved in Yemenis on the Great Lakes project, this is a great opportunity. For information on how to apply, visit here.
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Please remember that the Center for Arab American Studies is here to serve your community.
If you have a story or historical documents to share, we are here to collect them and get them into safe hands. We also offer a Minor and a Certificate in Arab American Studies. If you are a researcher searching for a helping hand, we have decades of experience and connections to share.
So reach out to us!
And remember that we can use your help as well! If you are able to support CAAS with a gift of any size, or with a story, please reach out to us here!
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