BOONE, N.C.—On April 5, the Department of Anthropology at Appalachian State University will host guest speakers Dr. Zainab Saleh and Dr. Ziad Abu-Rish for a panel discussion titled “Perspectives from the Middle East: Iraq and the Levant.” The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3:15 p.m. in Room 114 of Belk Library and Information Commons on the university’s campus.

During “Perspectives,” each speaker will present a lecture. After that, they will entertain questions from the audience.

Saleh, an assistant professor of anthropology at Haverford College, will deliver a lecture titled “Superfluous Nostalgics: Longing for an Idealized Past among Iraqis in London.” This will draw on her decade-long research on London’s Iraqi community.

Abu-Rish, an assistant professor in the Department of History at Ohio University, will deliver a lecture titled “The Levant Six Years into the Arab Uprisings.” This will draw on his research on the origin and progression of political uprisings in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It will also explore the reverberations of the Arab uprisings in these three states, their carried trajectories and the current balance of power between incumbent elites and opposition forces.

“Perspectives from the Middle East’ is sponsored by Appalachian’s Department of Anthropology, Humanities Council, Department of History and Department of Government and Justice Studies, along with the Department of Cultural, Gender, and Global Studies and the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies.

About the Department of Anthropology

Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Anthropology offers a comparative and holistic approach to the study of the human experience. The anthropological perspective provides a broad understanding of the origins as well as the meaning of physical and cultural diversity in the world – past, present and future. The department offers numerous research opportunities for students including field schools, internships, lab projects and independent studies at home and abroad. Students may earn B.A. and B.S. degrees with concentrations in sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and social practice and sustainability.

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is home to 16 academic departments, three stand-alone programs, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities, social sciences, and the mathematical and natural sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university’s strengths, traditions and unique location. Our values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of our students as global citizens. There are approximately 5,850 student majors in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing Appalachian’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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