Identity Narratives and Democracy: Invoking the Memory of Peace and Violence in the South Asian Context

by Public and Community Events

Lecture/Talk/Seminar Academic Talk GAPP History Sociology

Wed, Apr 24, 2024

1 PM – 2 PM (GMT+2)

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Conference and Visitor Center - Room P007

AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt

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Join us in a public talk organized by the project "Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from MENA" under the school of GAPP, focusing on the narrative of Identity—and how, over periods of history, 'identity' along with memory has been used as a tool for not only peace and cultural awakening but also violence and justification of various mass atrocities—discussing its ideological foundations and historical evolution. Identity, and the politics of it, is a topic of enormous contemporary relevance, with implications for the construction of national identity and the responsibilities of the international community. While the focus will be on the creation and application of identity, due to its centrality within democracy and democratic societies—historical, cultural, and social contexts, along with the spatial, cultural, and political memories they engender, will also be considered in the discussions. In an attempt to analyze how the memory of peace and violence has been used and abused for identity, memory, and other political ends, various historical narratives and multiple cultures of the South Asian landscape will be brought in to make a legitimate case for the same. The geographical peculiarities of the South Asian territories, historical events leading to the unique social formation of the region, and aspects of demography, religion, gender, ecology, art, literature and architecture will be discussed.

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Speakers

Dr. Prerana Srimaal

Head of Liberal Arts Program, CHRIST university, Bangalore

Dr. Prerana Srimaal is an esteemed faculty member at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), located in Bangalore, India. She holds a doctorate from the Centre for Historical Studies atJawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. With a strong background in research, Dr. Srimaal has actively participated in diverse projects and explorations throughout India and South Asia,fostering a comprehensive understanding of the past and its interpretation in the present - with a special focus on genocides, wars, human displacement and migration with the help of material culture studies.Dr. Srimaal currently serves as the head of the Liberal Arts Program at CHRIST University's Bannerghatta Road Campus. Her research pursuits revolve around urban historical and political narratives, with a particular focus on the intersection of material culture studies, gender studies, and identity and memory politics. Her expertise lies in critically analyzing the ways in which historical contexts are reconstructed and comprehended within urban settings. Dr. Srimaal is leading an impactful project in collaboration with the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities. This initiative aims to document and preserve 1000 heritage sites in Bangalore, recognizing their cultural and historical significance. Her involvement in this project underscores her commitment to heritage conservation and her dedication to enhancing public awareness and appreciation of Bangalore's rich historical legacy.

Dr. Amr Adly

Assistant Professor, Political Science Department,AUC

Amr Adly is Assistant Professor in the department of political science at The American University in Cairo (AUC). He worked as a researcher at the Middle East directions program at the European University Institute. He worked as a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where his research centered on political economy, development studies, and economic sociology of the Middle East, with a focus on Egypt.

Adly has taught political economy at AUC and Stanford University. He has also worked as a project manager at the center of democracy, development, and the rule of law at Stanford University, where he was a postdoctoral fellow.Adly is the author of cleft capitalism: the social origins of failed market-making in Egypt(Stanford University Press, 2020) and state reform and development in the Middle East: the cases of Turkey and Egypt (Routledge, 2012). He has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Geoforum, Business and Politics, the journal of TurkishStudies, and Middle Eastern Studies. Adly is also a frequent contributor to print and online news sources, including Bloomberg, Jadaliyya, and Al-Shorouk.

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