Jews from Arab Lands – a major conference in London, 23-24 November

A conference organised by the London Middle East Institute, SOAS

Sponsored by the University College of Bahrain

Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24 November 2010

Tuesday: 9.15am – 5.00pm & Wednesday: 9.30am – 1.00pm

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS

Admission £15; £10 for OAPs and LMEI Affiliates; Students Free
Enquiries & BookingsTel. No. 020 7898 4330 / 4490
E-mail: lh2@soas.ac.uk / vp6@soas.ac.uk

Jewish populations have inhabited many parts of the Middle East and North Africa from earliest times. Their participation in society, economy, culture and politics was diverse over this history, and followed the transformations of those societies at large. In predominantly Muslim – dominated polities Jewish populations were technically ‘dhimmi’, but the practical consequences of this classification were situationally varied. In the modern period, in the late Ottoman Empire and successor states, many Jewish individuals and communities played prominent parts in the processes of reform, modernisation and state building, as well as in the arts and public life. However, the rise of nationalist and religious political forces, coupled with the conflicts over the formation of Israel, led to conflicts and persecutions, which eventually saw the virtual end of the Jewish presence. Jewish diasporas from the Arab lands have been notable for much of modern history, notably Iraqi diasporas in India and the Far East. Following the exodus since the 1940s and 50s, other diasporic communities made their presence felt, primarily in Israel, but also in Western societies.

Download the full programme here