Expert scholars from around the globe will gather at Georgetown University in Qatar today and tomorrow to discuss shifts in the Indian Ocean world. The annual faculty conference will focus on the nations, cultures, and people of the region under the theme of ‘The Liberal State and its Alternatives in the Indian Ocean.’
The event being held at GU-Q’s Education City campus is made possible by a Conference and Workshop Sponsorship Programme award from the Qatar National Research Fund, a member of Qatar Foundation.
The programme features a diverse mix of international and local experts from institutions including Oxford University, University of Cambridge, King’s College London, Stanford University, the University of Singapore, Qatar University, and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
Today’s programme included a keynote speech by Stanford University’s Dr Thomas Blom Hansen, focusing on the genealogies of distributed sovereignty in the wake of colonial forces and imperial involvement in the Indian Ocean region.
“The conference will also feature panel discussions, beginning with a focus on topics such as oil-producing states of the GCC, how digital networks enable and constrain states in East Africa, and the interplay of negotiation and compromise exhibited by the government in Pakistan,” according to a statement issued by GU-Q.
Dr Thomas Hansen to deliver keynote speech.
