EUROPEAN NETWORK OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
At its meetings in Cambridge, 2-4 July 2000, the Council of the European
Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES) agreed to set up a
European Network of Middle Eastern Studies. This is to be primarily an
information network, run by Prof. Gunter Meyer, President of EURAMES, at
the University of Mainz in Germany. It will consist principally of a
website and an E-mail news list, acting as forum for the exchange of
information on European research and teaching in the field of Middle
Eastern and Islamic studies.
The main suppliers of information will be European research centres and
university departments/institutes, as well as individual scholars and
experts. As well as news and reports of particular projects, conferences,
courses, etc., the Network will also generate new online directories of
scholars and experts, and of research projects.
EURAMES is also encouraging the formation of thematic working groups
concerned with particular aspects of Middle Eastern studies. Such groups
already exist for Middle East water and cinema. These will have their own
discussion lists and websites, as well as contributing to the main one.
In the field of Middle East librarianship and bibliography, there is of
course a ready-made group of long standing -- MELCOM International, which
is a constituent member of EURAMES -- and this discussion list, LIS-Middle-
East, is already performing the function envisaged by EURAMES.
OTHER NEWS FROM EURAMES
The Cambridge Council meetings were attended by representatives from Great
Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Nordic countries, Poland and
Switzerland as well as myself representing MELCOM-International. Other
countries now participating in EURAMES, or supplying information about
their activities, are Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Netherlands,
Russia and Spain. It was agreed that approaches should be made to known scholars
in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Malta and Ukraine.
The main activities of EURAMES henceforth will be the information Network (see
above) and the triennial conferences. The next conference will be in Mainz
in 2002, and this will also be the first World Congress of Middle Eastern
Studies, with participation by relevant bodies in America (MESA), Japan (JAMES)
and elsewhere.
EURAMES also from time to time makes representations on issues of concern
to European Middle East scholars. In May this year it supported the call
for recognition of Arabic "with all its inner diversity" (i.e. including
literary Arabic) as a minority language of the European Union. This was to
counteract a proposal to give such recogition only to Maghribi colloquial
dialects.
Earlier this month EURAMES sent a protest to the Egyptian authorities over
the arrest and detention of Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim, whose Ibn Khaldun
Centre for Human Rights had been in receipt of EU funding.
Further information about EURAMES can be found at http://www.eurames.de
and they can be E-mailed at [log in to unmask]
Geoffrey Roper
Islamic Bibliography Unit
Cambridge University Library
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|