The Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) conducted a panel discussion on Conceptualising the Middle East, comprising college professors and members of the diplomatic community.
The event hosted in Education City saw Austrian ambassador Willy Kempel, British ambassador Ajay Sharma, and Qatar's former ambassador to South Africa Dr Bashir al-Shirawi in attendance alongside faculty and students.
HBKU panellists, including CHSS associate dean and professor Dr Steven M Wright, as well as associate professor Dr Reem Meshal, took part in the dialogue.
In a series of panel conversations that were administered by faculty, the speakers presented their specialist views on a wide array of topics that touched upon emerging challenges in the region as well as international affairs.
CHSS founding dean Dr Amal Mohamed al-Malki said: “We have drawn on the expertise of the ambassadors and the research of our faculty members to engage the students as active participants on the discussion about the current situation in the Middle East and its ramifications. By engaging students, we were able to successfully build connections between what is taught in the classroom and what happens in reality, further opening a space for intellectual freedom of speech."
The panel’s areas of discourse included discussions on the roles of women, gender and youth in the Middle East as well as the ideological challenges and future prospects facing the greater region. It also touched upon issues such as extremism and hurdles to co-existence in globalised societies.
In a conversation on the geopolitical climate from a Qatar-centric perspective, the panellists deliberated on how other states, outside the region, may contribute to promoting security and regional order.
This year’s panel discussion comes as the latest in a series of events that HBKU has organised with diplomatic missions across Doha. Through its collaboration with embassies, HBKU actively promotes discourse, critical thinking, and multi-culturalism at its campus, as well as fosters a dynamic learning environment for all members of its community.
