Tuesday 23 October 2012

Ottoman History Podcast



A history podcast dedicated to presenting accessible and relevant information about the  Ottoman Empire, the Mediterranean and Middle East. If you would like to come on the podcast to contribute a topic or discuss a recent publication, please email chrisgratien[at]gmail.com.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

e-Médiathèque: a new online plateform of e-books and archives on Arabic and Islamic studies


e-Médiathèque is a multilingual (Arabic, Berber, French,...) digital library that gives open access to scientific and documentary collections (archives, images, manuscripts and prints) in humanities and social sciences studies of the Mediterranean region. 

Those collections are tied to the research activities of the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l'Homme (MMSH) in Aix-en-Provence (France) in the fields of law, linguistics, ethnology, political and religious history, architecture, oral traditions, and religion, etc.  These studies geographically encompass the northern shores of the Mediterranean and the Arabic and Muslim world.

See the website (only in French so far) for more information: 

NB. Access to the digital contents is through the little (auto-hiding) blue icon on the left top corner of the item.

Friday 13 July 2012

Afghanistan in 2011



Afghanistan in 2011: A Survey of the Afghan People

"The Asia Foundation has released findings from Afghanistan in 2011: A Survey of the Afghan People – the broadest public opinion poll in the country. Conducted by The Asia Foundation's office in Afghanistan, the 2011 survey polled 6,348 Afghan citizens across all 34 provinces in the country on security, reconciliation, economy, and governance to assess the mood and direction of the country."


Thursday 21 June 2012

Arabic Manuscripts Digital Library of Jerusalem

A collaborative project between the main libraries of East Jerusalem

A collaborative project between the main libraries of East Jerusalem

The First Virtual Library of Collections of Arabic Manuscripts in Jerusalem

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Developed within the framework of project Manumed, financed by the European Union and the region Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, “The Arabic Manuscripts Digital Library of Jerusalem” aims to promote the written heritage of East Jerusalem and to make this heritage accessible to all with the sole caveat of an internet connection. It relies on the latest technology to provide access which is simple, multimedia and multilingual. More than 6600 documents are searchable online.
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Partners Libraries: the Khalidi Library, the Budeiri Library, the Al-Aqsa Library and Islamic Museum, the Al Ansari Library and The Waqf Restoration Center.


See their website: http://digital-library.alquds-manuscripts.org/


Wednesday 20 June 2012

Open City Documentary Film Festival - Focus on the Middle East


OPEN CITY DOCS FEST  - 21-24 JUNE 2012


UCL/TORRINGTON PLACE, LONDON WC1

**Special student discount tickets and free drinks!**

Celebrating the best of documentary film in the heart of London, Open City Docs Fest is a live festival devoted to exploring the world we live in through the vision of documentary film. Between 21-24 June the festival will challenge, explore and expand ideas of what documentary can be and do, provoking debate and opening minds. 



The Afghan Nightmare Fri 22 June, 12:00 (54 mins)
The Afghan Nightmare gives a unique insight into the Western forces’ military tasks and possibilities in Afghanistan. Norwegian Colonel Rune Solberg is trying to fulfill his task as military commander of the NATO in Faryab province, while the Taliban is increasing its activity and the handover to Afghan forces is supposed to be taking place. “The Afghan Nightmare” depicts vividly and with dark humour the manifold obstacles to Solberg’s mission, yet the story is told as close to the subjects as one can possibly get, and the film keeps you gripped from start until end.
 

5 Broken Cameras Thurs 21 June, 19:30 (90 mins)
Nominated for Grand Jury Award
The extraordinary story of a Palestinian village’s resistance to encroaching Israeli settlements is brought to life powerfully, eloquently and personally, through the footage from Emad Burnat’s five bullet ridden and broken cameras. It makes for an intensely powerful personal document about one village’s struggle against oppression.



Strains of Resistance Sat 23 June, 12:00 (95 mins)
Three Syrian documentaries from '78, '03 and '11 show the arduous road that has led from indoctrination to defection from the Ruling Baath Party.


When Egyptians woke up on January 25th, 2011, they never expected the one day demonstration planned for that public holiday to evolve into a full out revolution aimed at overthrowing the regime’s 30 year long grip on power. Three talented young directors decided to tell their story of the revolution from their unique cinematic point of view, choosing to focus not only on the politics, but on a handful of individuals whose actions would determine their fate and forever change the future of their country. Followed by Director Q&A.

Rouge Parole Fri 22 June, 19:45 (94 mins)
The Arab Revolution erupted in a country that no one would expect: a political earthquake that shook the whole world. Tunisia appeared to be a quiet and stable country: until a young man set himself on fire, and began the fight for freedom and dignity. Capturing the emotional complexity of a revolutionary resistance, Rouge Parole is the story of a popular revolution told by its heroes through both their silence and their clamour.


  



The festival has diverse programme of more than 100 films from around the world, innovative live events and filmmaker-led workshops will take place over four mid-summer days and nights in venues around central London and across University College London’s (UCL) WC1 campus. Search www.opencitydocsfest.com or download the festival schedule to find out what's on offer making use of our handily organised festival strands  - including Science FrictionsProtest Works, Sound WavesStill LivesArtists’ DocumentaryThe Image of the Engineer, City Scope and World Visions, alongside a showcase of the winners of our nationwide online film-making competition, MyStreet, various shorts programmes and a number of special events

For full festival information: www.opencitydocsfest.com

Tickets are bookable online, from £5 screening tickets for everyone through to a variety of day and festival passes so you can truly immerse yourself in the full festival experience. 
**STUDENTS: WE ARE OFFERING DAY PASSES AT A CONCESSION RATE OF £12 OR £5 FOR ANY FILM.**
Facebook: OpenCityDocsFest
Twitter: @OpenCityDocs

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Qajar Iran Digital Archive

Afsaneh Najmabadi (Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University) has launched today a new site on Qajar Women:

This site explores the lives of women during the Qajar era (1796-1925) through a wide array of materials from private family holdings and participating institutions. Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran provides bilingual access to thousands of personal papers, manuscripts, photographs, publications, everyday objects, works of art and audio materials, making it a unique online resource for social and cultural histories of the Qajar world.

Wednesday 9 May 2012

World Bank - Open Knowledge Repository


World Bank - Open Knowledge Repository

"The World Bank today announced that it will implement a new Open Access policy for its research outputs and knowledge products, effective July 1, 2012. The new policy builds on recent efforts to increase access to information at the World Bank and to make its research as widely available as possible. As the first phase of this policy, the Bank launched today a new Open Knowledge Repository and adopted a set of Creative Commons copyright licenses".
The Open Knowledge Repository is freely available at openknowledge.worldbank.org

Sample reports of interest for Middle East and Islamic studies:
MENA Development Reports
Finance and Financial Sector Development :: Islamic Finance