NEW MIDEAST STUDIES INITIATIVE OFFERS LECTURE SERIES THROUGH LOCAL ADULT-EDUCATION PROGRAM

To help members of the local communities understand developments in the Middle East, a gathering of experts from Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges and a Turkish Fulbright Scholar will present a lecture series on the politics and culture of the Middle East. Hosted by Main Line School Night, the series, "The Middle East: Various Perspectives," presents five top scholars, many from the Middle East, over five Tuesdays in September and October to tell the stories behind the headlines. All lectures are held at Lower Merion High School, 245 E. Montgomery Ave., Ardmore.

Participants may sign up for the first free lecture or any combination of the subsequent lectures at $15 each or choose the full series of five for a cost of $50 at www.mainlineschoolnight.org or by calling Main Line School Night at 610-687-0460 for further information.

This joint effort between Bryn Mawr and Main Line School Night is one of several programs presented this year by the College's newly formed Middle East Studies Initiative. The Main Line School Night series includes these lectures:

• Alev Cinar

  Turkey: Shaping the Future from the Past: Alev Cinar, Fulbright visiting scholar at Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, will discuss the identity, culture and politics that shape Turkey and its future. Cinar, associate professor of political science at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, will discuss the status of Islam in a secularized state and challenges to integration with Europe on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7-8:30 p.m. Free.

• The Rise of Islamic Politics and the Future of Democracy in the Middle East: Deborah Harrold will discuss expanding democratization, open elections and the increased participation of Islamic groups in the election process. Harrold, a lecturer in political science at Bryn Mawr, will draw on her research in Algeria on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7-8:30 p.m., at a cost of $15.

• Azade Seyhan

  Islam and Identity in Fiction: Fairbanks Professor in the Humanities Azade Seyhan discusses the Turkish author Orhan Pamuk's novel Snow and other works of fiction in the context of changes in Turkey and Islam. Snow raises key issues about the loss of Turkey's rich Ottoman legacy in the wake of modernization, according to Seyhan. The talk is offered on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 7-8:30 p.m., at a cost of $15.

• Global Dreams, Local Hopes: Class and Space in Urban Egypt: Swarthmore Assistant Professor of Anthropology Farha Ghannam will discuss how class division and identity affect two housing settlements in Cairo, one constructed for the rich, the other for working-class families. Ghannam, a cultural anthropologist and a Jordanian national, will discuss issues of globalization, gender inequalities and religious identities. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 7-8:30 p.m., at a cost of $15.

• Marc Ross

  Sacred Sites and Competing Narratives in Jerusalem: One of the most significant sacred sites in the world is Jerusalem, holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Competing groups have used archaeological and historical evidence to develop their political rights to these sites. Bryn Mawr Professor of Political Science Marc Ross will discuss the role sacred sites play in sustaining identity, and the possibility for conflict mitigation on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 7-8:30 p.m., at a cost of $15.

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