SERMEISS Virtual Research Workshop

In an effort better to serve our academic community across the region, SERMEISS (Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Society) is announcing a new initiative to host Virtual Research Workshops. The goal of these workshops is to help scholars prepare manuscripts for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (or other publication outlet). Selected participants will be asked to submit their completed manuscript at least a week before the workshop. At the workshop the scholar will present a brief summary of the paper and then receive feedback from one or more discussants, including a senior scholar with expertise in the topic or discipline, as well as other participants who have pre-registered for the workshop and have agreed to read the manuscript in advance as well.

To apply, scholars must submit a 500-word abstract of the paper, date of completion, suggested possible outlets (if any), suggested discussant (in any). Manuscripts can be in any discipline and address any topic within the Middle East, North Africa, and/or the broader world of Islam.

Priority will be given to scholars based at institutions within the SERMEISS 10-state region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The ability to accept a proposal will depend on the ability of SERMEISS to secure discussants for the paper.

Workshops are offered on an as-requested basis. To apply to present a paper, please complete the Presenter Form.

If you are interested in serving as a discussant, please complete the Discussant Form.

If you have any questions about SERMEISS’ Virtual Research Workshops, please contact Dr. Waleed Hazbun at waleed.hazbun@ua.edu.

Previous Virtual Research Workshops have included:

January 11, 2021, Dylan Baun (U of Alabama-Huntsville), “Remembering, Forgetting, and Mobilizing an Individual: The Politics of Memorialization in the Lebanese Civil War.”

April 12, 2021, Lillian Frost (Virginia Tech), "Intentional Ambiguity: Refugee Policies under Pressure in Jordan"