Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 2023 Annual Conference; Montreal, Quebec

Conference: Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 2023 Annual Conference in Montreal, Quebec
November 2 – November 5, 2023

Presentation:  “ānā mawǧūd!” Presence, Performance, and Ethical Subjectivity in Palestinian Cross-border Anti-Occupation

Report:

I was awarded a Kellogg Conference Travel Grant to attend the 2023 Middle Eastern Studies Association (MESA) annual conference in Quebec, Montreal, Canada from November 2-6, 2023. At this conference, I presented research from my dissertation fieldwork, also funded by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. My paper was entitled “ānā mawǧūd!” Presence, Performance, and Ethical Subjectivity in Palestinian Cross-border Anti-Occupation Activism”. This is a single-author paper and it was presented on a panel entitled "Ethics from the Margins: Ethical Decision-Making, Performance, and Identity Practices Amongst Marginalized Groups in the Middle East". Our discussant asked each panelist to reflect on how they gained research access to communities that are typically closed to outsiders. Other panelists discussed the queer community in Jordan, refugees in Iran, and disability in Lebanon. Attendance at the panel was medium, a success given our time slot on the last day of the meetings.

In addition to presenting, I worked on networking with other anthropologists and folks who work on similar thematic projects or regional spaces. I joined the business meeting for the Association of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies and introduced myself to several board members. I also joined the Association of Middle East Anthropology’s awards ceremony and reception in order to meet MESA participants also doing anthropology. These were productive events to attend as I was able to introduce myself and chat with faculty from universities in the US and Canada, become aware of potential paper prizes, and solidify professional relationships that I had already developed. The relatively small conference size made it very easy to approach faculty and postdocs after panels, in business meetings, and at receptions.

In addition to meeting faculty, I also connected with graduate students at a similar stage of research and writing who work in my area (thematically and regionally). This was perhaps the most positive experience of the conference because I find myself somewhat isolated as the only
cultural anthropologist working in the Middle East in both Kroc and the Dept. of Anthropology. A small group of us are considering starting a writing group as we struggle through data processing and the early stages of dissertation writing. These connections were very positive and I look forward to developing them in the new year.