Recent News

This academic year, the Abbasi Program is pleased to announce the broad theme for its events and programming as they relate to frameworks of collective belonging, cultural construction, identity and heritage formation.

This collection of books, articles, and excerpts was put together by Abbasi Program affiliate Professor Joel Beinin (Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History and Professor of Middle East History, Emeritus at Stanford University) as a resource for anyone looking to learn and read more. Nathan Thrall,

This is an excerpt from the article Stanford’s long history in supporting displaced academics during crisis, conflict, which focused on the topic that "through the Institute of International Education, Stanford has hosted displaced scholars who have had to escape conflict or flee persecution because of their research, race or creed." One scholar who recently came to study and research at Stanford is the Turkis

With the conversion last month of the architecturally stunning Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a working mosque, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan fulfilled a long-held hope of many Turkish Muslims and of his own political party.

By Nic Fort (Contributing Writer for the Stanford Daily)   A joint offering from the comparative literature department and the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, COMPLIT 102: “Understanding Turkey Through Film” studies the politics and social issues of Middle Eastern countries through the lens of Turkey’s modern cinema industry.

FRENCH 133 (AFRICAST 132 / AFRICAAM 133 / JEWISHST 143) Introduction to Francophone Literature from Africa and the Caribbean taught by Dr. Marie-Pierre Ulloa Student authored vignettes on their couscous dinner experience at Bistro Vida on 30/13/17.

Touted as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans," the Mediterranean port city of Salonica (Thessaloniki) was once home to the largest Sephardic Jewish community in the world.

Marie Pierre Ulloa (Department of French and Italian) interviews authors Tobias Wolff and Alice Kaplan on the work and legacy of Albert Camus. The interview features a discussion on Camu's various works including The Stranger and The Algerian Chronicles.

As the investigation into the recent coup attempt in Turkey continues to unfold, Associate Director Burcak Keskin-Kozat provides context for what she has described as a “socio-political implosion.”

Three of our faculty affiliates reflect on the Gezi Park protests that have emerged in Turkey since May 2013.