Monday, September 16, 2019 @ 1:00 pm-5:30 pm

Conference

A conference organised by The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial) in collaboration with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago and the Department of History, Religions and Philosophies at SOAS.

The conference aims to evaluate the many contributions of the Jewish community in Iraq within the spheres of the arts and culture, social policy, education, government and the economy in the early modern and modern period. Iraqi Jews constituted one of the world’s oldest and most historically significant Jewish communities and were in Iraq for over 2,500 years. There is a widening academic interest in the history and contributions of the Jewish community as well as growing interest in Jewish history in contemporary Iraq. This conference will bring together UK, Iraqi and international scholars interested in exploring and researching the contributions of this important community to modern Iraq.

The full Conference Programme

Recordings of all the papers can be viewed here. 

Conference Steering Committee:

• Joan Porter MacIver (BISI Vice-Chair/Conference Coordinator)
• Orit Bashkin (University of Chicago)
• Zvi Ben-Dor Benite (New York University)
• Daniel Lowe (British Library)
• Glen Rangwala (Cambridge University)
• Joseph Sassoon (Georgetown University)
• Ella Shohat (New York University)
• Ali Khadr (BISI Executive Officer)

We welcome support from trusts, companies, and individuals. Any and all donations will be gratefully welcomed and you can make a donation here.

If you would like to discuss corporate partnerships or sponsorship opportunities then please do send an email to Ali Khadr at [email protected]