Message from the Director
This is, without a doubt,
the most stunning time of year at Lund University, with the majestic magnolia
and cherry trees blooming across campus as students welcome spring and
celebrate Valborg🌸
April has been a busy
month at CMES, marked by a series of highly topical research seminars on the
reconstruction of Syria, public dissent in Iran, and ethnographic fieldwork in
Palestine and Israel. We have also begun preparatory work for the anticipated
research evaluation by the Swedish Research Council, which is likely to take
place in the near future. In collaboration with other Strategic Research Areas
(SRAs) at Lund University, we have drafted and presented our first
self-evaluation and SWOT analysis report to the SRA Collegium, which received
positive and constructive feedback. Additionally, several of our researchers
have taken part in academic leadership training organised by the SRA collegium.
We are also about to publish CMES Yearbook 2024 where you can read about the
broad range of research activities the Centre engaged in over the past year. As
Director, I am confident that CMES today stands on strong scientific ground. We
will continue to advance research excellence, deepen interdisciplinary collaboration,
and strengthen our societal impact.
Exciting events coming up
in May include a book talk co-organised with the Swedish South Asian Studies
Network (SASNET) on homeland security in India and Israel/Palestine; an
international workshop on water sustainability in the Middle East in collaboration
with the UN University; a research seminar on the rise and fall of Hezbollah;
and a CMES public talk co-organised with the Student Association of Foreign
Affairs in Lund (UPF). on whither Israel with the Swedish journalist and author
Göran Rosenberg
Please also note the
upcoming May deadlines for applying to the tenure-track position in Middle
Eastern History as well as for CMES workshop proposals and travel grants.
Stay tuned
on the CMES website, social media and by subscribing to the Newsletter.
