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ACTIVE ARAB VOICES
The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at AUB


Check out our thesis page
Published AUB Gender Theses
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Podcast coming soon!
student projects
Tweets by AsfariInstitute
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Click on the Red Dot
​for the event info


​Envisioning Change:
An Empirical Test of the
​Social Psychological Model
of Utopian Thinking and Collective Action


by 
Vivienne Badaan, Carla Akil, Yara Zebian, John T. Jost



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Abstract: This article provides the first empirical evidence of the theoretical model by Badaan et al. (2020) that proposes social psychological mechanisms whereby utopian thinking, which activates the social imagination, could enhance collective action intentions geared toward progressive social change. We anticipated that imagining better societies via utopian thinking would (a) increase social hope, (b) promote an abstract mindset that bridges psychological distance between the status quo in the present and the imagined, better future, (c) attenuate system justification motives, and (d) enhance social change-oriented collective action intentions. Using a structural equation modeling approach, our study provides preliminary support for some postulates of the theoretical model, paving the way for future research to further disentangle the psychological mechanisms by which utopian thinking influences collective action geared toward social change.

for more click here


​Gender Inclusive Communication with Tarek Zeidan
part II

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an Asfari Institute Webinar

Open Event

Women of Afghanistan:
​
MY VOICE to MY HOME

Part 5 of the Afghan series in collaboration with FEMENA
Wednesday May 11th,  at 11:00 AM EST, 6:00 PM Beirut time.
Speaker: Zahra Yagana, Founder and Head, Green Home

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Gender Inclusive Communication with Tarek Zeidan

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Event Summary:
This event was organized with the collaboration of the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship and the American University of Beirut. Asfari Institute director, Lina Abou Habib commenced the event with a brief introduction of guest speaker Tarek Zeidan, current executive director of Helem – the first LGBTQIA+ rights NGO in the Arab world, founded in Beirut, Lebanon – since 2012.


Guest speaker Tarek Zeidan began by analyzing if language really reflects society, and if so in which ways. He provided examples of the power language has in changing or reifying the existing power structures in society, and that the neglect of inclusive language use invisibilizes people not just in the context of the Arab world, but specifically in the Arabic language as it is heavily gendered.

click here for more

By Mohamad Hojeije / AUB Student

Book Launch
Years of Struggle:
The Women's Movement in Jordan

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Rana Husseini joins the Asfari Institute and the Women and Gender Studies Initiative to discuss her new book ‘Years of Struggle: The Women’s Movement in Jordan’, which tells the story of the women’s movement in Jordan from the 1940s until the present day.

Panelists:
Rana Husseini
Dr. Vivienne Badaan
Nour Al Hassan
Lynn Ezzeddine
Carla Akil - moderator

Join March 28th at 12pm on Zoom.

Watch the above event here. Get Rana Husseini's book here.
Event Summary:

​
This event was realized through the cooperation of the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship and the Women and Gender studies at the American University of Debate. The director of the Asfari Institute Lina Bou Habib started off the event with a small introduction after thanking the efforts of Kathryn Maude from the Women and Gender Initiative at AUB for organizing this event. 

click here for more
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By Mohamad Hamdan, AI intern

Lebanon's 2022 Parliamentary Elections: An Interdisciplinary Lens

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Watch live here.
​Watch the above event here.


Lebanese Craftsmanship: Insights for Policymaking

Produced by Nahnoo
​Farah Makki

The report shares the result of a research-action plan and a strategic collaboration framework between Nahnoo and Badguèr. It highlights the governance of crafts in Lebanon passing through the main policy limitations and actors, analyzes the relationship between crafts and Lebanese Cultural Heritage, and puts forward concrete recommendations for redefining crafts values and policies.
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When the first wave of Armenian refugees arrived to Beirut in the 1920s, Bourj Hammoud was only an agricultural plain accessible with a stone bridge, with a large green landscape and dispersed few small houses. After escaping the Turkish genocide, Armenians have been offered the opportunity to found a new homeland in the Lebanese changing context.
During the thirties, the agricultural plain and the isolated two-floor tower of Hammoud Arslan started to shift into a residential area organized according to French urban planning. 
Click here for more

Women of Afghanistan:
​My Voice to My Home

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In the fourth webinar of the series: Women of Afghanistan: My Voice to My Home, FEMENA and the Asfari institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American university of Beirut will be tackling important issues with poet, writer, and women human rights defender Hoda Khamosh. Hoda Khamosh, was one of the women protesters against the Taliban in Kabul during past 6 months and was one of six Afghan women who were invited to sit with Taliban officials as they made their first invited visit to a Western country since taking control of Afghanistan in August.

Join Zoom event here.

Watch the above event here.

أمنا الأرض و يوميات شهرزاد احتفالاً بالمرأة في الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت

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احتفلت الجامعة "الأميركية في بيروت" بيوم المرأة العالمي أمس الأول، منظّمةً معرضاً لـ"أندريه هوشار فتال" تحت عنوان "أمنا الأرض" في منحوتات "يتردّد صداها مع آلهة الخصوبة في المتحف الأثري، في حوار ثقافي وجهاً لوجه وتنديد بما لا يقال وكشف عن وحدة المرأة عبر العصور"، كما يأتي أيضاً هذا المعرض تكريماً لشقيقة أندريه، ماريون هوشار إبراهيمشاه، صديقة وعضو متحف الجامعة
التي وقعت ضحية انفجار 4 آب.


​وقبل المعرض، كان قد احتفل متحف الآثار في الجامعة ومعهد الأصفري ومكتبات الجامعة الأميركية
في بيروت ومعهد عصام فارس ومبادرة الشراكة الأميركية الشرق أوسطية، بالمرأة من خلال سلسلة من الأحداث المتنوعة والتعاونية التي تسلط الضوء على أصوات المرأة وإنجازاتها في الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل، إذ أطلقت "مكتبة جافيت" معرضاً عن تاريخ المرأة في الصحافة العربية، تبعته
حلقة نقاش تفاعلية تضم طالبات وخريجات من الجامعة "الأميركية في بيروت"


للمزيد انقر هنا


International Women's Day Event

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Join livestream here.

Watch the above event here.


مأساة الأوكرانيات: مناسبة لمواصلة الابتذال 

ميريام سويدان - Daraj
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الثقافة السائدة لا تزال تقارب المرأة وموقعها بشكل دوني في فترة الحرب كما في السلم، فتبلغ الذكورية​ والاستهزاء حدّهما الأقصى أمام صورة لجنديّة تحمل السلاح

بيتي مفتوح للاجئات الأوكرانيات”، “كيف أقنع الأوكرانية بأنني باقٍ في بيتي الزوجي من أجل الأطفال”، أو “كيف لي أن لا أتضامن مع أوكرانيا
عبارات مرفقة مع صُور نساء أوكرانيات، تنتشر على مواقع التواصل في خضم حربٍ لم تُعرف مآلاتها بعد. أبعد من ذلك، قد يتطوّر الأمر وينشر صحافي تقريراً يتناول فيه قضية تجنيد الروسيات والأوكرانيات في الجيش، فيقرّر أن يستهلّه بعبارةٍ كـ”هؤلاء نساء قرّرن خوض الحرب من دون الخوف من كسر أظافرهن”. يقولها مراسل بكلّ حزمٍ وجدّية في تقريرٍ تلفزيوني على إحدى الشاشات العربية. سياق مبتذل رافق أيضاً بعض الصحف، إذ نشرت صحيفة “الوفد” المصرية خبراً بعنوان “لا تتسرّع في الزواج سيكون هناك نازحات ولاجئات أوكرانيات قريباً”، في
مقاربة بالغة الاسفاف في تناول حربٍ ذهب ضحيتها العشرات حتى الآن


أنقر هنا للمزيد

Global Advocacy and CSW Workshop

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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:

This online training will introduce young and emergent feminist groups and organizations to the CSW (Commission on the status of Women) as a space as well as a mechanism and how it can be navigated. This is an online training which is based on a manual that is created and adapted each year by the NGO CSW NY.

Apply here.

​Watch the above event here.

​Women of Afghanistan:
​My Voice to My Home

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In the third webinar of the series “My Voice to My Home”, FEMENA and the Asfari Institute for Civil society and citizenship at the American University of Beirut, will be tackling the life and work of an Afghan women’s rights activist: Humaira Saqib. Humaira is an experienced female journalist and active human rights activist and Founder of Afghan Women News Agency. She has done some important research like research on the role of women in the parliamentary and presidential elections with the Regional Women's Network (WRN). This Webinar brings a public and international insight to the cause of women of Afghanistan.
​

Join Zoom event here.

Watch the above event on this link.

Lucha Feminista
by Andrea Lopez-Thomas - Beirut
Líbano es uno de los 25 países del mundo que priva a sus mujeres el derecho a pasar la nacionalidad a sus hijas. La discriminatoria ley de ciudadanía niega la nacionalidad libanesa a aquellas nacidas de la unión entre una mujer libanesa y un hombre extranjero.

“Es una sanción de los regímenes patriarcales a las mujeres que se alejan de lo esperado; casarse fuera de su tribu es un acto de rebelión que merece ser sancionado al retirarle el derecho a pasar su nacionalidad”, analiza @LinaAH1 del @AsfariInstitute.
​
https://elperiodico.com/.../libaneses-apatridas-propio...

for more please click here


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Director Lina Abou Habib on ASI Live

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Watch full segment here.

2021 Annual Report

As you may know, the Asfari Institute had a very busy and bumbling 2021, and we as a team decided to compile most of our activities in this annual report in the form of a short video. Kindly find it attached. 
We hope you'll have a chance to give it a watch and stay up to date with most of what we've been doing as it is a good cornerstone for where we're headed in 2022. 

Proposal Writing and Research Design: How to Fund Your Ideas

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Young scholars embarking on their academic careers must master the art of writing proposals for research funding. Whether you are conducting research for a dissertation or book or seeking support for a special project, locating and securing funding is critical. This workshop will provide expert guidelines on how to write compelling proposals from the initial phrasing of the research questions, step by step, to the significance of research, methodology, outcomes, and public outreach. It will also address such issues as identifying and working with funding agencies, effectively communicating the importance of your research and goals, preparing budgets, and planning for the dissemination of results. The workshop will be led by Dr. Suad Joseph, Distinguished Research Professor at University of California, Davis. 

DATE AND TIME: March 31st, 6 to 9pm Beirut time, 8 to 11am PST.


Join Zoom workshop here.

The workshop will be in English with interpretation available.
* Registration and vetting required.

Women of Afghanistan:
​My Voice to My Home

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Part 2 of the Afghan series in collaboration with FEMENA In the second webinar of the series "My Voice to My Home", FEMENA and the Asfari Institute for Civil society and citizenship at the American university of Beirut, will be tackling the life and work of an Afghan women's rights activist: Adela Mohseni. Adela has worked on different areas regarding the prevention of child marriage, the passage of CEDAW, the passage of laws to protect women from
violence, women's political participation in addition to her extensive work with women in the provinces. This webinar brings a judicial and political insight to the case of women of Afghanistan.
Join Zoom event: https://us06web.zoom.us/i/86417265516

Watch the above event on this link.

حاجة إلى تصحيح المسارات... تأثير الحرب في سوريا على النساء والفتيات

  علياء عواضة
22رصيف
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"النساء والأطفال (ذكوراً وإناثاً) هنّ الفئات الأكثر ضعفاً وهشاشة خلال أي نوع من الأزمات وخاصة خلال النزاعات المسلحة". دائماً ما تتردّد هذه المقولة بصياغات مختلفة على لسان 
العاملين والعاملات في المجال الإنساني

منذ عقود، تُشكّل الأزمات الإنسانية العنوان الرئيسي لأخبار البلدان العربية، بلدان لم تكن
النساء والفتيات فيها يوماً على سلّم أولويات الحكومات، بل على العكس، كان ولا يزال يُمارَس التمييز ضدّهنّ عبر قوانين وممارسات أدّت غالباً إلى تعرضهنّ للعنف والقتل، إضافة إلى
.إقصائهنّ عن مواقع اتخاذ القرار


عندما زرتُ معهد الأصفري للمجتمع المدني والمواطنة في الجامعة الأمريكية في بيروت قبل أيام، لأستمع إلى ما سيُقال في ندوة بعنوان "التأثير غير المتكافىء للأزمة السورية: مقاربة الإصلاحات من منظور نسوي" والتي تقارب تأثير الأزمة السورية على النساء والفتيات السوريات، سواءً داخل سوريا أو في بلدان اللجوء، لم أستغرب ما رَوَته مجموعة من النسويات عن التمييز والتعنيف الممارَس على النساء على كافة المستويات
أنقر هنا للمزيد


One Egyptian activist out of prison, another 3 in

by our own Marwan Issa
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Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif hugs her dog at home after serving 18 months in prison for “spreading false news and insulting a police officer”. Thursday, December 23, 2021. (Photo: @Monasosh | Twitter)
​
Prominent Egyptian Human Rights activist Sanaa Seif was released from prison on Thursday, December 23, after serving her 18-month sentence on charges of “spreading false news and insulting a police officer.”
Sanaa was charged for shouting at a policeman who allegedly “physically and verbally assaulted her mother, her sister, and herself” when they submitted a report about an assault against them at Tora prison.

for more click here for the article on Beirut Today


In Loving Memory
Asma Khader
1952-2021

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Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship

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The Asfari Foundation is developing a paid social entrepreneurship fellowship placing aspiring social entrepreneurs within civil society organisation. The fellowship hopes to enable entrepreneurs to experiment and learn in a supportive environment and for CSOs to potentially experiment with new solutions that could strengthen their sustainability.

The Foundation designed this survey to gauge the interest of aspiring entrepreneurs and to tailor this programme to bring most value to them. The survey will take less than 5 minutes to complete. Responses are anonymous. It is in both Arabic and English. And you can find it on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. 

PDF file.

‘Glocal’ Voices: Discussing Feminist Blogging as Political Practice

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With speakers: 
Christina Kaili 
Farah Daibes


This reflective/reflexive dialogue deals with feminist blogging as a space from which to ask critical questions about political struggles and feminism. Blogs are harder to control than broadcast and print media. As a result, in politically sensitive areas, authoritarian regimes seek to suppress blogs and/or harass and punish those who maintain them. As we have reached the ten-year anniversary of the so called ‘Arab Spring’, we reflect on the tremendous socio-political role of women activists blogging during waves of protests, as well as the social, economic, and political crises that followed in the years after the 2011 Arab uprisings and revolutions.
Join Zoom link
​
Join us live on Facebook

Watch the above event on this link.
​
Click here for an event summary.

Women of Afghanistan: My Voice to my Home

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With speakers:
Zubaida Akbar
Farahnaz Foroutan 


Women of Afghanistan have passed through a long history of struggles and oppression. After August 2021 and the return of the Taliban to rule the country de facto, danger and fear circulate the future of the women and girls of Afghanistan. Those women have demands to voice and fight for, nationally and internationally. In the light of the above, The Asfari Institute for Civil society and citizenship at the American university of Beirut is pleased to collaborate with FEMENA and organize a series of webinars titled “My Voice to My Home”. This initiative plans to give Afghan activists a platform to connect with the students of AUB and advocate for their demands.

Join Zoom link
Join us live on Facebook


Watch the above event on this link.

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The Asfari Foundation Learning Development Grant 2021

The Asfari Foundation is offering small injection grants of up to £5000 to support local CSOs to invest in their development as learning organisations.
Examples of how the grant may be used include:
- MEAL & knowledge management: developing internal processes to systemically collect, interpret and disseminate learning/knowledge.
- Develop and implement a forum or series of workshops to exchange learning/knowledge and expertise with others from across the sector on a particular topic or sets of topics.
- Collaborating with others on a podcast to share knowledge and expertise on a particular set of topics.
- Investing in a blog which shares your organisation’s learning/knowledge and explores the work of others.
- Converting some of your organisation’s existing learning/knowledge into a shareable format, eg an online course, interactive videos, gamified learning.
- Conducting a piece of research.


Eligibility Criteria:
Applicant organisations:
- Must be registered organisations working in the youth and civil society sectors.
- Must be non-profits and/or social enterprises with a social mission. We will prioritise small and medium-sized organisations, but all organisations are welcome to apply regardless of size.
- Must be focused on supporting those in the Levant region.
- Preferably are founded and/or led by Syrians, Lebanese, and/or Palestinians.

Organisations are welcome to apply whether they are current grant partners of the foundation or not. We particularly welcome applications from new organisations founded by young people, and organisations headed by women.​


The deadline for applications is now 29 November 2021, 11:59pm (UK time).

We held a Q&A webinar for prospective applicants on Tuesday 9 November 2021 – watch a recording of that here.

Ready to apply? Access the application form via this link!

Nafas Jdeed Talks: Women in Politics

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Join us this Wednesday the 17th of November 2021

Our director, Ms. Lina Abou Habib will be discussing Women in Politics.

Women in politics will focus on Women Activism, political participation, women immigration, sexual harassment, women political quota, and future vision at AUB's Basile Antoine Meguerdiche Conference Hall - Floor 1 of the Issam Fares Institute. 

Must present Vaccination Certificate to access AUB campus.

In collaboration with Issam Fares Institute and Democracy Reporting International.

Trilingual Virtual Symposium

Symposium international virtuel:
Quelles solidarités transnationales au carrefour des crises, des injustices et des précarités? Perspectives du Québec et du Liban /

Virtual international symposium:
Which transnational solidarities at the crossroads of crises, injustices and precarities? Perspectives from Québec and Lebanon

/ ما هي أشكال التضامن العابرة للحدود الوطنية على مفترق طرق الأزمات والظلم والمخاطر؟ وجهات نظر من كيبيك ولبنان

15 & 19 Novembre 2021, 9h - 12h, EST (Montréal)/16h - 19h (Beyrouth) sur ZOOM
November 15 & 19 2021, 9am - 12pm, EST (Montréal)/4pm - 7pm (Beirut) on ZOOM

Join Zoom event at:
 
​umontreal.zoom.us/j/81558631163?pwd=ckhlZnBudjQvaUNhWm5hd2V0S0x3UT09

Watch the following event on this link.
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Amman Principles on a Global Level

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National mechanisms for women have passed  through  a long history since the 1995 Beijing platform for action for Equality,  Development,  and  Peace.   However,   recently,   the   Amman principles, a set of 9 fundamental principles came to  advance   the work   of   national  mechanisms  for gender  equality and woman   empowerment. This initiative done by   Solidarity   is Global  Institute   –   Jordan   (SIGI)   in    collaboration    with   Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s  Political  Feminism  Programme  in the  MENA  region  plans  to ensure  optimal  gender  equality advocacy  within  challenging   contexts.  In the light  of  the above, this webinar plans to discuss  and  further develop the Amman principles, help raise awareness on  their  importance and advocate for their adoption.   
Join Zoom event at 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81133314582
لقد مرت الآليات الوطنية للمرأة عبر تاريخ طويل منذ منهاج بكين 1995 للعمل من أجل المساواة والتنمية والسلام. لكن ، مؤخرًا ، جاءت مبادئ عمان ، مجموعة من 9 مبادئ أساسية للنهوض بعمل الآليات الوطنية للمساواة بين الجنسين وتمكين المرأة. هذه المبادرة التي نفذتها جمعية معهد الدولي لتضامن النساء   بالتعاون مع برنامج النسوية السياسية التابع لمؤسسة فريدريش إيبرت ستيفتونغ في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا ، وتخطط لضمان الدعوة المثلى للمساواة بين الجنسين في السياقات الصعبة. في ضوء ما سبق ، تخطط هذه الندوة عبر الإنترنت لمناقشة وتطوير مبادئ عمان ، والمساعدة في زيادة الوعي بأهميتها والدعوة إلى اعتمادها

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​UPCOMING:
  • Book launch event with Rana Husseini
  • Ten Years On Project event
  • ​Workshop: Proposal Writing and Research Design: How to Fund Your Ideas
 JUST MISSED:​​​​
  • Webinar: Women of Afghanistan 3​​
  • Women's Day: Celebrating Great Voices
  • Webinar: Women of Afghanistan 4
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SPOTLIGHT: In Lebanon, the children of Syrian & Palestinian refugees frequently go unregistered at birth & are later denied basic rights http://arab.news/4ef6a with a quote by Lina Abou Habib.​
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​Lebanon's first gender statistical report
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS) launched Lebanon’s first gender statistical report entitled “The Life of Women and Men in Lebanon: A Statistical Portrait”. 
The report provides the most comprehensive compilation of gender-disaggregated statistics and indicators and highlights key trends underpinning the country’s progress towards achieving gender equality over the past 15 years. 

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نظراً للوضع الاقتصادي المتأزّم، ونظراً لتداعياته على الفئات المهمشة في المجتمع وعجز النظام والدولة بشكل كامل، سوف يتم إعادة تفعيل حملة "كتفي بكتفك"، وهي شبكة أمان اجتماعي تم تأسيسها العام الفائت. الهدف اليوم هو مساعدة طلاب المدارس والجامعات، الذين لا قدرة لهم على دفع رسوم التسجيل وتكاليف القرطاسية المتصاعدة بسبب التضخم، لإنقاذ جيل طلاب المدارس والجامعات ومنحه الفرصة للتقدم على الصعيدين الخاص والعام.

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ASFARI IN THE MEDIA

cبعد "كورونا".. التشاركية
مفتاح نجاة العالم الع
ربي
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Lebanon's Protests -
Op-Eds, Infographics,
Featured Articles,
​and More
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​​الناشطية في
مجال حماية البيئة
​والحق في المدينة
​ في المنطقة العربية
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​​الناشطية في
مجال حماية البيئة
​والحق في المدينة
​ في المنطقة العربية
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المشهد البيئي العربي
​في حلقة نقاش ببيروت
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Click HERE to access our publications

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2021 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX

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Global Map of Internet Restrictions
by Comparitech 
Asfari CultuRe Award


​In remembrance of August 4



​SIX WAYS ARABS CAN RESIST ANTI-BLACKNESS
From "Scene Arabia"
​Facebook Page
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Just Feminist Recovery

Feminist Solutions to Climate Crisis: Building a Green Future.

Objectives:

  • Amplify the voices and vision of marginalized, grassroots women and non-conforming persons.
  • Strengthen and mobilize social movements of marginalized, grassroots women and gender non-conforming persons
  • Co create a bold and propositional blueprint for green, just and equitable feminist recovery from the pandemic, and beyond by bridging existing knowledge with grassroots voices and vision.​​​

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​بيان بشأن التقرير من المقدم من بنت النيل للجنة السيداو عن زواج القاصرات

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"Bent El-Nile" group has submitted its first report to the Esteemed Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) on child marriage in accordance with Egyptian law, tackling the need for legal mechanisms to enact a penalty for such a crime, which would contribute to ending the problem and provide a safe life for girls in Egypt. It addressed and discussed the policies taken by the State to reduce this phenomenon. The report shined the light on the "national strategy to reduce early marriage" which was drafted in 2015 but wasn't taken into consideration, or criminalized by the Egyptian law despite the appeals of the National Council of Women and the National Council for Motherhood and Children, in addition to the requests of different Egyptian parliamentarians, to be considered a crime.
We therefore are calling to raise voices and share our recommendations with the State, in order to take the necessary measures to criminalize this phenomenon, which is widespread in rural governorates and upper Egypt.
Recommendations:
1. Expedite the enactment of a law that criminalizes underage marriages, and all forms of violence against women and girls; amend the Penal Code to include provisions that impose penalties on whoever aids or abets the perpetration of such crimes, particularly the husbands and legal guardians; and increase the penalties imposed on public officials who participate in such crimes.
2. Draft and adopt a serious national strategy that aims to put an end to the crime of underage marriage in Egypt, in consultation with relevant international organizations and local civil society organizations.
3. Develop medical, psychological, and social rehabilitation programs for female victims of gender-based violence (GBV), especially the crime of underage marriage, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, NCW, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) and other relevant bodies.
4. Take the necessary measures to ensure the involvement of civil society organizations in the work to curb the spread of underage marriage crimes and raise societal awareness of the prohibition of such practice.

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SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN:


AN OVERVIEW OF AN INCREASINGLY WORRYING SITUATION 

As the world prepares to celebrate International Safe Abortion Day on 28 September, “Medfeminiswiya” is publishing a comprehensive series of articles on women’s sexual and reproductive rights in the Mediterranean region. For the drafting of this content, our journalists reported from Algeria, Egypt, Italy, Palestine, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Malta, countries where these fundamental rights are far from being achieved or remain very fragile.
Marked with negations, advances and regressions, the situation of sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR) in the Mediterranean region is quite worry- ing especially on the southern shore: as pointed out by the RAWSA MENA network to which we are dedicating an article, only Tunisia authorizes safe abortion. This explains why at the regional level, many women die each year as a result of complications in countries where abortion is prohibited, therefore, unsafe. 

​for more, click here

​للغة العربية، انقر هنا



Join us for the 7th Signature Ten Years On panel 
30 September, 12pm EDT / 7pm Doha


"Activism in Exile: Diasporic Communities in the Wake of the Arab Uprisings"


Organized by the Center for International and Regional Studies and partners.
Live on http://Facebook.com/Jadaliyya
For more details, check here
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Feminists Battle for Justice 26 Years after Beijing
Thursday July 29th from 7:00 to 8:30pm Beirut time
Join Zoom event

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83780218857
The UN IVth Conference of Women (Beijing, 1995) has been a turning point globally in setting a framework and tangible parameters for gender equality worldwide.  It was also a unique space where some 35000 from around the world gathered to make their voices heard.  Despite significant advances however, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination, oppression and violence under patriarchal laws and systems.   In this 90-minute discussion, four leading feminist scholar-activists from India, Morocco, Lebanon, and the United States who have been intimately involved in the struggle for gender equality since and also before Beijing 1995 will discuss what has changed and how and where do they see the feminist struggles for the future.  The conversation will be moderated by Alison Freeland.
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Funding Feminist Movements in the MENA: Analyzing the Current Ecosystem
Monday July 26th from 3:00 to 4:30pm Beirut time
Join Zoom event

https://zoom.us/j/91865436040
​The mobilization of resources continues to be a formidable obstacle that feminist movements face. Research conducted by AWID showed that despite new funding commitments made, women’s rights organizations receive only 0.13% of the total Official Development Assistance and only 0.4% of all gender-related aid. This circle will bring together feminist funds to discuss joint action and collaboration which seek to address the endemic issue of funding feminist movements and activism globally and in the MENA region. It will also discuss the outcome and implications of the Generation Equality Forum which just took place in Paris in early June.
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​The Asfari Institute at the American University of Beirut 

Oxfam 
Marsa for Sexual Health 
Feminist Circles Series Announcement 
​

SAVE THE DATES! 
The Asfari Institute, Oxfam and Marsa for Sexual Health are pleased to announce the launch of the first collaborative feminist circles series. 
This virtual series seeks to engage feminist activists, international organizations, and scholars in dialogue and discussions around contemporary feminist activism issues whilst at the same time reflecting over potential feasible solutions. In addition, we will use the learning from these circles to design accessible knowledge, communication and publication products which seek to contribute to furthering the outreach of the feminist circles as well as provide useful tools to activists on the ground. 
The virtual series is open to interested audiences while ensuring that the space is conducive for reflection, as well as safe and secure. 
OPEN EVENTS
Timetable and program of the first feminist circles series 
June 14 to July 5

Post-pandemic Feminism: How has the pandemic contributed to      
     transforming the feminist movement      
 Monday, June 21
st from 3:00 to 4:30 pm Beirut time 

Join Webinar

https://www.facebook.com/AsfariInstitute

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed life as we know it, but more perilously increased the risk of gender-based violence (GBV), gender inequalities, oppression, and discrimination in addition to amplifying women’s care burden.  In an article recently published by the Guardian, the COVID-19 pandemic has been described as an outbreak of disaster patriarchy, where the crisis is exploited to reassert patriarchal control and dominance, and rapidly erase hard-earned rights. Patriarchy has taken full advantage of the virus to reclaim power, as well as escalate the danger and violence against all women and non-binary. This discussion will shed light on the strategies that feminist movements have adapted to strengthen their activism in times of crisis and the absence or inadequacy of state assistance, the lessons learnt from the pandemic, and what strategies to be adopted in the post-pandemic world.  
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Young Feminist Futures: Revolutions and Intersectionality 
      Monday, June 14th from 3:00 to 4:30 pm Beirut time


Join Zoom Event
​

https://zoom.us/j/96844565051?pwd=WlY3S01qdmJvTkdFT1g1MlpicGVUZz09

From the Arab Spring to the new round of uprisings, young intersectional feminists within the revolutions have played a major role in framing the struggles and shaping the narrative of the movement through the power of young voices. According to a report by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the regional average for women’s representation in parliament has increased since the beginning of the Arab Spring, thus indicating some shift at least at the level of women's participation in decision making. In some countries, progress has come in leaps and bounds, while in others through incremental steps. This discussion will focus on the feminist narratives that evolved during and post-revolutions, the role that young feminists play to reclaim the public sphere, and the ways in which the boundaries have been pushed. 
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Funding feminist movements in the MENA: Analyzing the current ecosystem 
Monday June 28th from 3:00 to 4:30 pm Beirut time 
The mobilization of resources continues to be a formidable obstacle that feminist movements face. Research conducted by AWID showed that despite new funding commitments made, women’s rights organizations receive only 0.13% of the total Official Development Assistance and only 0.4% of all gender-related aid. This circle will bring together feminist funds to discuss joint action and collaboration which seek to address the endemic issue of funding feminist movements and activism globally and in the MENA region.   

The Recipient of the Dr. Hassan Abbas Award in Citizenship and Social Justice
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That Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at AUB proudly announces that Ms. Manar Ahmad Chorbaji is the winner of the Dr. Hassan Abbas Award for Citizenship and Social Justice. Manar is an FAS graduate of May 2021, who earned a BA in Media & Communications.The Award was presented during the AUB Faculty of Arts and Sciences 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony on June 10, 2021, in the presence of AUB’s President Dr. Fadlo Khuri and FAS Dean Dr. Nadia El Cheikh.

Media Framing of Political Events in Lebanon:
From Uprising to Blast & Aftermath
Today, Lebanon features one of the most severe economic crises in its history. Combined with the coronavirus pandemic and deepening political gridlock, the residents of the country are experiencing acute economic dislocation, political alienation, and daily hazards to their lives and wellbeing. The October 17 Revolution and August 4 Beirut Port explosion simultaneously—albeit different—reflected and added to the underlying features producing such crises. This panel aims to explore how the Lebanese media are dealing with this turmoil, shedding light on the framing of events based on political agendas.

Organized by the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program at GMU, Arab Studies Institute, and the Asfari Institute at AUB

Friday, 11 June 2021
Facebook.com/JADALIYYA
Facebook.com/AsfariInstitute
12 pm EDT, 5 pm London, 7 pm Beirut


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TEN YEARS ON Project

Organizers: Arab Studies Institute, Princeton’s Arab Barometer, George Mason’s Middle East and Islamic Studies Program.

Co-Sponsors: Georgetown University (Center for Contemporary Arab Studies), American University of Beirut (Asfari Institute), Arab Council for the Social Sciences, Brown University (Center for Middle East Studies), UC Santa Barbara (Center for Middle East Studies), Harvard University (Center for Middle East Studies), University of Exeter (Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies), Birzeit University (Department of Political Science), University of Chicago (Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory), Stanford University (Program on Arab Reform and Democracy, Stanford University), AUC Affiliates, Georgetown University (Qatar) Center For International And Regional Studies (CIRS), The Global Academy (MESA Affiliated), Institute of Palestine Studies.

Join the Asfari Institute's Third (3rd) Feminist Roundtable entitled:
 
  
 How has the discourse on gender-based violence been changing among Arab young activists? 

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021 at 5.00 PM – 6.30 PM (Beirut time)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/5823787038?pwd=cmtoTUxqdmhrRk1Pa3c2R0lXeitOZz09
 
Join us live on:
https://www.facebook.com/AsfariInstitute

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The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship is launching our new
Gender and Feminism Round Table Series
 
Join us for our Second (2nd) event on 
 

"Analysing current LGBTQ activism in the region: 
Who are the new authors of the public narratives?"
 


Date: Thursday April 29th, 2021
Time: From 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm Beirut Time


 
Moderator:
Dr. Carmen Geha, Activist, AUB Professor of Public Administration,
​& co-founder of CIBL for Women
​
Guest speakers:
Tarek Zeidan, Executive director, Helem (Lebanon)
Khawla Bouaziz, Secretary  General, Mawjoudin (Tunisia)
 


 
Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/95575815932
 
Join us live on:
https://www.facebook.com/AsfariInstitute
 
for more info:

https://www.activearabvoices.org

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The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship is launching our new
Gender and Feminism Round Table Series
 
Join us for our first event on 
 
“Gender, Conflict and Refugees: the Case of Syria”
 
Join Zoom Event at:
https://zoom.us/j/99967056278
 
Join us live on:
https://www.facebook.com/AsfariInstitute
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The round table will begin with a keynote address by AUB’s FAS Dean Nadia El Cheikh followed by a partial screening of Carol Mansour’s documentary “Nehna Mou Heik”  https://vimeo.com/81968642
Program of the roundtable:
 
  • Keynote address II Dean Nadia El Cheikh, AUB FAS
  • Film Viewing II Nehna Mou Heik II Carol Mansour, Film Director
  • Roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Muna Khalidi, Forward Productions with:
    • Rola el Rokbi II Director, Women Now for Development
    • Sabah el Hallak II Director, Moubadarat al Mouwatana
    • Carol Mansour II Film Director, Forward Productions
  • Final remarks II Dr. Nadia El Cheikh and Carol Mansour
 

Feminist Mobilizations at the time of COVID-19:

Experiences from the Middle East,
​
Latin America, and the Caribbean


Wednesday, January 27, 2021
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Beirut time
Virtual event

 
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Join us for a roundtable conversation with and between feminist activists and scholars from the Caribbean and Latin America, Gabrielle Hosein and Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, and from the Middle East, Lina Abou-Habib and Mozn Hassan. 
Feminists all over the world have responded to and mobilized to address the wide-ranging inequalities and forms of gender-based violence exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women have been disproportionately affected in terms of unemployment, limited access to adequate health care, political marginalization, and increasing and intensified forms of gender-based violence. What are feminists challenging, what are they concretely suggesting and what are their strategies, especially in terms of collaboration with national governments, international organizations, and transnational feminist campaigns? This webinar aims to discuss feminist mobilization and strategies at the time of COVID-19 in relation to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. The idea is to look at both specificities and similarities in feminist struggles during this challenging period.



Reflections on Mass Protests

&

Uprisings in the Arab World


(Two Panels)

Monday, 25 January
1 PM EST and 2:30 PM EST

Part 1 @ 8:00 PM Beirut Time, Part 2 @ 9:30 PM Beirut Time
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Ten Years On
Mass Protests and Uprisings in the Arab World
December 17, 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of the start of the Arab uprisings in Tunisia. Beginning in 2011, mass uprisings swept North Africa and the Middle East, spreading from the shores of Tunisia to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and the Eastern Province of the Arabian Peninsula. A “second wave” of mass protests and uprisings manifested during 2019 in Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon, and Iraq. The persistence of demands for popular sovereignty even in the face of re-entrenched authoritarianism, imperial intervention, and civil strife is a critical chapter in regional and global history.
 
In an effort to mark, interrogate, and reflect on the Arab uprisings, we launch a yearlong set of events, reflections, and conversations. We hope to produce resources for educators, researchers, students, and journalists to understand the last decade of political upheaval historically and in the lived present.
 
Over the past decade, a plethora of events, texts, and artistic and cultural productions have navigated the last decade’s spectrum of affective and material registers. We hope to contribute to these efforts through a historically grounded, theoretically rigorous approach that collaboratively interrogates the multiple questions the Arab uprisings continue to pose.
Organized by: Arab Studies Institute, Princeton’s Arab Barometer, and George Mason’s Middle East and Islamic Studies Program. Co-Sponsored by: Georgetown University (Center for Contemporary Arab Studies), American University of Beirut (Asfari Institute), Arab Council for the Social Sciences, Brown University (Center for Middle East Studies), UC Santa Barbara (Center for Middle East Studies), Harvard University (Center for Middle East Studies), University of Exeter (Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies), Birzeit University (Department of Political Science), Stanford University (Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law), AUC Affiliates, Georgetown University (Qatar), The Global Academy (MESA Affiliated), Institute of Palestine Studies.

 لهذه الأسباب يمكن أن نحتفي بعام 2020


لينا أبو حبيب - باحثة وحقوقية نسوية لبنانية

معهد الأصفري للمجتمع المدني والمواطنة
الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت
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سأحتفي بثورة أولئك الذين يعارضون النظام، والذين يحاربون القمع والظلم يومياً وبأساليب كثيرة مختلفة، والذين يرفضون الاستسلام...عجَّت منصات التواصل الاجتماعي في الفترة الأخيرة، بمنشورات احتفالية عقب الإعلان عن إقرار قانون يعاقب التحرش الجنسي وعن إجراء تعديلات على قانون حماية النساء وسائر أفراد الأسرة من العنف الأسري
فنَّدت الكاتبة والناشطة النسوية الرصينة، مايا العمّار، تلك الانتصارات المزعومة وأثبتت بما لا يدع مجالاً للشك أن ليس ثمّة ما يستدعي البهجة أو
التهليل، وأن الإنجازات المذكورة ليست سوى مجرد إجراءات شكلية زائفة بل وحتى محاولة لتلميع نظام رثّ وإبرازه كنظامٍ مُتحضِّر مناصر للمرأة
للمزيد انقر هنا
For the English version, Please click here

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Women in the Sun: Precarity and the Future

among Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon
​

Yara Tarabulsi​
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During the months of July to September, my fieldwork in Lebanon led me to drastically different places: from the dusty, dry agglomeration of shacks in a small town in the middle of the Bekaa Valley to a hot and humid hectic sewing workshop hidden within the serpentine alleyways of the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp. I ended up in these places to speak with Syrian refugee women about their different experiences of laboring in Lebanon. Through this ethnographic work, I aspired to analyze how the Lebanese state’s policies towards Syrian refugee labor have affected the way refugee women navigate the labor market, as well as how the involvement of international and local humanitarian organizations has played into their choices and prospects while doing so. 
Click for more

INFLUENCING POLICY THROUGH RESEARCH:

The Case of Sexual Harassment Law in Lebanon​
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It is safe to say that policy change and legal reform toward gender equality has been rather slow and partial in Lebanon. For instance, and compared to other countries in the MENA region, Lebanon has undergone hardly any significant reform in the 16 different religious family codes. This is despite the fact that there has been no dearth of sustained advocacy and lobbying on the part of women and feminist organisations throughout the last four decades to bring about reforms in family laws and protections against gender-based violence. However, the last twenty years have nevertheless witnessed an important shift namely by bringing demands for gender equality into the public domain and as part of the prevailing public and political discourse. Another major advance was the fact that women themselves took over the public space and began to speak openly about their own experiences of oppression and discrimination and, in doing so, contributed to influencing public opinion as to the validity of their demands for change
​click here for more 

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Recently Completed
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Bourdieu, Latour and Rasha Abbas:

The Uses of Actor-Network Theory

for Studying the Field(s) of Cultural Production

in the Middle East and North Africa


Felix Lang
Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany

Beirut Blast Solidarity
​Tainted with Racism
​​ANTI-RACISM MOVEMENTANT

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​​​On August 4 2020, a massive explosion hit Lebanon’s capital that was caused by a blast of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port. The explosion caused the death of more than 150 people, thousands of injuries and disappearances, making a lot of families homeless.
Before the explosion, migrant workers had been demanding to be evacuated from Lebanon and to go back home. Today, their families are worried about their safety in a country that not only dehumanizes them but also does not consider their security and survival an urgent priority in a constantly changing situation in terms of coronavirus lockdown and official security protocols. For more, click here

Video of Remie Akl

الثأر لبيروت ولسكّانها
كريم نمور​.


​"الثأر"، لأن التحقيق والعدالة خذلانا... الثأر، لأن النظام يستغلّ قوّته لإحتلال الفضاء العام ومنابره لتبييض صورته، محاولاً إمّا رمي المسؤولية على القضاء (الذي يعجز هو الآخر الدفاع عن نفسه بفعل موجب التحفظ) وإمّا تشتيت المسؤولية على مختلف أركان النظام بغية إغراقها في تفاصيل تركيبته وهلاكها... والثأر، لأن التحقيق والعدالة محتكران من قبل النظام المجرم، فكيف عسى للمجرم أن يحقق ويحاكم ذاته؟ وهو نفسه من شوّه، قبل أيّام من الإنفجار، أنشودة "بيروت ستّ الدنيا" للشاعر نزار قبّاني، مستبدلاً عبارة "الثورة تولد من رحم الأحزان" بلالات بائسة، وكأنه يسعى لمحو الثورة وواقع الأحزان من ذاكرتنا المشتركة. أمّا بعد فشله بتلك المهمّة، ها هو يفجّر بطلة الأنشودة، بيروت

ولم تمضِ ساعات على الإنفجار الجرمي حتى تبنّت الحكومة بيان المجلس الأعلى للدفاع، لا سيما لجهة إعلان بيروت مدينة منكوبة وإعلان حالة الطوارئ فيها لمدة أسبوعين قابلة للتجديد (أي من 04/08/2020 لغاية 18/08/2020)، وذلك سنداً للمرسوم الإشتراعي رقم 52 الصادر بتاريخ 05/08/1967، على أن تتولى السلطة العسكرية العليا فوراً صلاحية المحافظة على الأمن
فكيف نقرأ إجراء الحكومة هذا لإدارة الكوارث الوطنية، في ظلّ مطالبات الثأر الشعبية؟


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أتى إنفجار بيروت في 4 آب الماضي ليرنّ ناقوس النظام مجدداً. فيتحول الثأر (أو رغبته) إذ ذاك إلى انتفاضة مستجدة لاستعادة عدالة – ومعها سردية لواقعنا – يحاول النظام بائساً التمسك باحتكارها
​

للمزيد من المعلومات، انقر هنا 


​Beirut Catastrophe
​

Through our partner Jadaliyya
By Bassam Haddad
05 August 2020


Like so many, I am beyond mad at the criminal incompetence and corruption of the Lebanese Government, Bureaucracy, and their attendant business cronies/supporters who privilege profit over everything with almost no checks on their horror, save the self-congratulatory "open" discourse in public spaces, which serves more to vent than to exact concrete accountability. Hence the necessary courageous protests and mobilization we have observed for some time being the beaming light amid rot. A much more careful and detailed account is Ziad Abu-Rish's take below on what happened yesterday, and implications. I asked him to synthesize his social media comments for potential publication (perhaps on Jadaliyya). Thanks Ziad.


Please consider joining our fundraising campaign to support the Lebanese Red Cross here, Kindly click here



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By Ziad Abu-Rish
​

The nature of Tuesday’s explosion in the port of Beirut and the extent of the damage across the city and beyond is not yet clear. There are plenty of unconfirmed reports and it is hard to take official statements as transparent.
That being said, the effects of the explosion were felt across the city and beyond. For those familiar with the geography, nearby areas such Karantina and Gemmayzeh as well as further away areas such as Manara, Hamra, Burj Hammoud, Sin al-Fil, and Brummana felt the explosion.
The port area itself is largely decimated, with adjacent neighborhoods destroyed and those one neighborhood removed reportedly looking like a warzone. Much of the most-damaged areas are only now being accessed by those searching for victims, rescue teams having been forced to wait out the flames or make sure remaining structures would not collapse on them. 
The anecdotes and reports of windows shattering, balcony doors collapsing, and ceilings caving in across Beirut (to say nothing of the “exterior damage” on the streets that are today lined with broken glass) and beyond are true and a testament to how powerful the explosion was.        click here for more



Citizens' Initiatives Tracker
​

under Coronavirus Threat

رسالة من معهد الاصفري  
يؤمن فريق معهد الأصفري للمجتمع المدني والمواطنة بأن لبنان والمنطقة والعالم أجمع بحاجة إلى مجتمعاتٍ مدنية تساهم في خلق حلول وسدّ حاجات على المدى القصير والمتوسط، وإلى مبادرات مدنية تعضد التضامن بين الفئات الاجتماعية المتنافسة كل دقيقة في سياق يستمر فيه السياسيون في اتباع منطق المحاصصة والاستزلام للبقاء في مقاعد الحكم. كما يحتاج لبنان إلى مجتمع مدني يحاسب حكوماته على قرارتها ومعايير أدائها لوظائفها على أكمل وجه. ويصب هذا الموضوع في صلب تفويض معهد الأصفري وأجندته البحثية إذ يهتم المعهد، من خلال برنامجي "المجتمع المدني والقانون والحوكمة" و"الثقافة كمقاومة" ومشاريعهما، برصد وتوثيق وتحليل الحركات الاجتماعية - المحلية والمتعدية القومية منها - في العالم العربي وكذلك بدراسة التجليات الجديدة للمجتمع المدني ولأعمال الناشطية فضلاً عن الترويج لمواطنة مسؤولة ومشاركة سياسية تحمي الديمقراطية التشاركية والعدالة الاقتصادية والاجتماعية
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THE ASFARI INSTITUTE IN THE MEDIA

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ACTIVE VOICES

Abdullah Al-Kafri: What is the role of culture in the acceptance of injustice
اطلاق كتاب
بناء ونضال من ارشيف الحركة النسوي
Theatre in progress: An interview with Artist & Actress Hanane Hajj Ali

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التقرير الثاني عن الناشطية المجتمعية لعام 2019
​​
 
​
​ ساحات تنتفض ومساحات تُصادر​

 
إشراف: د. دينا الخواجة



​يصدر التقرير الثاني عن أحوال الناشطية المجتمعية في المنطقة العربية في عام 2019 متأخرًا هذا العام. حيث لم يكن من اليسير تجميع كل المساهمات وتحريرها نظرًا
للأوضاع الاستثنائية التي عاشها لبنان وبشكل أعم كل المنطقة منذ خريف 2019 وحتى كتابة هذه السطور في يونيو 2020. وقد تمثلت الأوضاع الاستثنائية تارة في انتفاضات شعبية واسعة النطاق في كلٍ من السودان والجزائر ولبنان والعراق،  وتارة أخرى في شكل جائحة استلزمت العزل الصحي وإغلاق كل الأنشطة الاقتصادية لما يزيد
عن أربعة أشهر؛ فحال كل هذا دون إصدار تقريرنا الثاني عن الناشطية المجتمعية في نيسان/أبريل 2020 كما كان مخططًا له
...للمزيد

يعرض لكم معهد الأصفري للمجتمع المدني والمواطنة في هذا القسم عدد من القراءات المقترحة التي تنضوي تحت مواضيع مشاريع المعهد البحثية
يمكنك الاطلاع على لائحة القراءات الكاملة هنا
The Asfari Institute of Civil Society and Citizenship presents to you in the section below a number of readings that fall within the subjects of its research projects and programs.
You can check the full reading list HERE


Can Lebanon Be Fixed? 
BRIAN STEWART


The massive explosion last month in Beirut’s port has devastated the Lebanese capital. The great Arab metropolis is now convulsed in a solemn rage, with Lebanese civil society beginning to stir on behalf of “revolution!” Such is the nature of life in Beirut that it can move from something so lowering to the spirit to something so ennobling to the spirit within an instant.

To continue reading, click here

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Authoritarian apprehensions: ideology, judgement, and mourning in Syria
Lisa Wedeen

​Authoritarian Apprehensions provides a valuable analysis of the role of ideology in saturating the sphere of personal decisions and political loyalties in the context of the Syrian conflict. However, the ethnographic approach and the narrative of an ‘insider view’ that is adopted in this book is insufficient to overcome the Western tendency to reduce Syrian subjects to helpless, structurally determined pawns, and to marginalize the agency and intellectual insights produced by well-known indigenous scholars and theorists. 
To continue reading, click here

Ending Denial: Anti-Black Racism in Morocco
Arab Reform Initiative

​Racism exists everywhere in the world but varies according to the context. In the Moroccan context, anti-black racism is pronounced, widespread, and largely denied by non-Blacks despite Morocco’s participation in the trans-Saharan slave trade for 13 centuries, and the socio-economic marginalization of the country’s Black minority until the present day.
To continue, click here
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The Domestic Implications of Sudan Normalizing Ties With Israel

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​Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Haidar Sadig, announced on August 17 that Sudan “looks forward to a peace agreement with Israel," addressing speculation about whether Sudan will normalize its diplomatic relations with Israel. Conjecture began in February when Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan—the chairman of Sovereign Council (SC), 
​Sudan’s highest transitional body—met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss an aviation agreement. Normalizing ties with Israel will not only have significant implications for Sudan’s global standing, but could also strengthen military actors and former Bashir regime figures.

ARI Publishes Winner of First Student Essay Contest

​The Arab Reform Initiative, a leading regional think tank focusing on a home-grown agenda for democratic change and social justice, announced today the winner of its first Student Essay Contest Award for the paper “Diasporas: A Global and Vibrant Force for Arab Democratization”.
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​The annual Student Essay Contest is meant to encourage students to think critically and actively engage with issues that are at the heart of the challenges and opportunities facing the Middle East and North Africa region today. For more, click here

​اطلقوا سراح ستات التيك توك
​

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ضد كراهية النساء، ضد التحريض، ضد تجريم الإختلاف. دعوة من مجموعة ستات لوقف حملات القبض والتشهير بـ"ستات التيك توك" ونطالب المجلس القومي للمرأة بتوفير الدعم القانوني لهن، والإفراج عن حنين حسام ومودة الأدهم ومنة عبدالعزيز وشيري هانم ونورا هشام ومنار سامي وريناد عماد وهدير الهادي وبسنت محمد والقوس مفتوح لأن الحملة مستمرة
​عن حملة #بعد_اذن_الاسرة_المصرية، إستهداف "ستات التيك توك": بدأ يوم 23 ابريل، اتقبض على حنين حسام بتهمة "تهديد قيم الأسرة المصرية وقيم المجتمع المصري والتحريض على الفسق والفجور وممارسة الرذيلة

المجتمع المدني في الأزمة السوریة

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​تقریر عن المشاورات عبر الإنترنت لمؤتمر بروكسل الرابع حول "دعم مستقبل سوریة   والمنطقة. سیتشارك الاتحاد الأوروبي والأمم المتحدة في رئاسة مؤتمر بروكسل الرابع المعني بـدعم مستقبل سوریة والمنطقة في 29-30 حزیران 2020 وبما أن انخراط المجتمع المدني لا یقدر بثمن من أجل مستقبل سوري
​عقد الاتحاد الأوروبي  مشاورات على الإنترنت لجمع أصوات المجتمع المدني وإعادة تأكید التزام الاتحاد الأوروبي بالعمل بشكل وثیق معه في سوریا والمنطقة إن فعالیة أیام الحوار​تجمع واسع النطاق لممثلي المجتمع المدني المنخرطین في الاستجابة للأزمة السوریة سیتم نقل نتائج هذه المشاورة في الاجتماع الوزاري لمؤتمر بروكسل الرابع (30 حزیران) من قبل مقررین مختارین من منظمات المجتمع المدني

Sweeping Assaults Against Women Started Long Ago in Egypt 

​“Black Wednesday” of 2005 was Just the Beginning while Epidemic of Sexual Violence Against Women Continued Growing. Recent waves of arrests of women offered one evidence on a growing (systemic) inclination to largely target women in Egypt. 
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At the same time, three female members of the family of an inmate in Torah Prison were assaulted by several women before the eyes of the Egyptian security forces charged with guarding the Torah Prisons Area
For more readings on the Coronavirus, and to follow up on related initiatives, click HERE

بيان (مانفستو): صحافيون مغاربة ضد صحافة التشهير

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​نامت صحافة التشهير والإساءة في الأونة الأخيرة، بشكل كبير، في كل قضايا حرية التعبير والمتابعات التي يتعرض لها الصحافيون والشخصيات المعارضة، حيث كلما قامت السلطات بمتابعة أحد الأصوات المنتقدة حتى تتسابق بعض المواقع والجرائد لكتابة مقالات تشهيرية تفتقد للغة أخلاقيات المهنة وتسقط كذلك في خرق القوانين​
​المنظمة لمهنة الصحافة في المغرب، بدون أي تدخل من الجهات التي من المفترض أن تكون رقيبة على المهنة. تنبه في حالة وقوع سقطات مهنية، بحسن نية أو بدونها، لتحدث بذلك ضميرا للمهنة يقف في مواجهة التغول الذي نعيشه في هذه الفترة لمنابر جعلت من خطها التحريري مهاجمة الأصوات التي تزعج بعض الأطراف في السلطة

Influencing Policy through Research:
The Case of the Sexual Harassment Law
in Lebanon

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​Though changing the letter of the law may be a long and arduous process, however the knowledge that the research has produced and the connections it has encouraged and nurtured have succeeded in galvanizing efforts towards change as well as transforming sexual harassment into an issue of public and political debate

تشريح الانهيار

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​مايك عازار مستشار متخصص في التمويل بالدين، كان أستاذاً محاضراً في مادة الاقتصاد الدولي في كلية جونز هوبكينز للدراسات الدولية المتقدمة في واشنطن. أجرت ديوان مقابلة معه في أواخر حزيران/يونيو للوقوف على رأيه حول الوضع الاقتصادي المتدهور في لبنان، وحول المفاوضات الجارية بين الحكومة اللبنانية وصندوق النقد الدولي
من أجل قراءة المزيد حول الانتفاضة في لبنان، انقر هنا​​

The marketing of protest and antinomies of collective organization in Lebanon

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Examining three contentious and intriguing developments that have captured public attention, namely Al-Hirak, Beirut Madinati, and Sabaa, this article explores the antinomies of collective
organization and action in the building of political “alternatives.” The research makes use of a thorough content analysis of Facebook campaigning posts and interview data and engages with literature on “new” social movements, digital activism, and collective organization to explore collective actors’ contending relations to “the political” at the organizational level

في نقد النخبة الكويتية وخطاب التضامن

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​بإمكاننا أن نستنتج من قراءة التاريخ السياسي المعاصر للكويت أن حراك البدون يمثل النواة الأساسية للتنظيم السياسي في الكويت، خاصة أن موقف التيار الليبرالي في الكويت كان ولازال معارضاً لتجنيس البدون بحجة "الخلل السكاني" وتبريرات شتى ضمن خطابه الطبقي المعروف. كما أن النخبة الكويتية التي تقود الآن العمل التضامني لصالح قضية البدون لم تحاول البتة الضغط على التيار الليبرالي (وأقصد بذلك ممثليهم في السلطتين التشريعية والتنفيذية) لتغيير موقفه تجاه القضية

​سواعد الحراك
دراسة في ُّ تطور المؤشر الدیمغرافي للانتفاض في المغرب

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تتناول ھذه الورقة دراسة الاحتجاجات في المغرب من زاویة الدیمغرافیا السیاسیة، وتبحث على وجه التحدید في بناء المؤشر الدیمغرافي للانتفاض على المستوى الوطني وكذلك على مستوى المناطق التي عرفت اضطرابات اجتماعیة ملفتة للنظر. ویقوم البحث على فرضیة مفادھا أن تضخم الفئة العمریة 15-29 على حساب الفئة 30-45، یعدّ علامة على قابلیة الأوضاع الاجتماعیة  للانفجار، خصوصا إذا ظل ذلك التضخم ​
​الدیمغرافي سائدا لمدد طویلة نسبی وتعتمد الدراسة معطیات الإحصاء العام للساكنة والسكنى التي تمتد من 1982 إلى 2014

‘It feels like a failed state’: Lebanon's crisis deepens as it awaits bailout

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Lebanon’s catastrophic economic collapse is gathering pace, with its currency shedding value daily, prices of essential foods out of the reach of many and talks that could unlock a desperately needed bailout crippled by what critics say is a determination by the ruling class to protect a broken system
To read more about the protest movement in Lebanon, click HERE

العرب-الأميركيون والتحرّر من العنصرية
من التواطؤ إلى التضامن

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​في الأيّام التي أعقبتْ مقتلَ جورج فلويْد، لم يدُرِ النقاشُ في الولايات المتحدة حول ما إذا كان العربُ ضحايا العنصريّة، وإنّما في كونهم مرتكبي العنصريّة. فقد أثار معلِّقون عربٌ-أميركيّون، عبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعيّ بشكلٍ رئيس، موضوعَ العنصريّة المعادية للسود داخل الجاليات العربيّة في الولايات المتحدة وفي المنطقة العربيّة أيضًا

العيش من المناطق المهمشة

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​تناقش دالية غانم، في مقابلة معها، دراستها الصادرة حديثاً حول المنطقة الحدودية بين الجزائر وتونس

Iraq and the Arab World
on the Edge of the Abyss

A conversation with Khalid Suleiman—a journalist and researcher of environmental affairs—who recently published Guardians of the Water: Drought and Climate Change in Iraq with Al-Mada Press in Baghdad. This book is particularly important at a time when Iraq and other Arab countries are facing an escalation of threats, such as droughts and epidemics.
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However, Arab governments are overlooking the dangers posed by desertification, water scarcity, floods, and torrents by not taking any meaningful action to stave off these threats and build a secure future for later generations

Amr Adly, Cleft Capitalism:
​The Social Origins of Failed Market Making in Egypt (New Texts Out Now)

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​By the time market-based capitalism was sought in Egypt in the mid-1970s, deeply entrenched social and economic marginalization precluded full market integration. However, the deadweight of the past was not inescapable; intermediate institutions could have emerged in response to the political empowerment of segments of SSEs, which never took place. ​Conversely, SSE populations were never 
brought into political processes because their interests never aligned with the immediate interests of those at the top, nor could they follow the path of larger dandy capitalist firms and break in from the outside given their dearth of capital

قانون “قيصر” والسوريين في الداخل
رحلة الحبو خلف لقمة العيش

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​بالتزامن مع دخول قانون “قيصر” لحماية المدنيين في سوريا، والذي أقرّته الولايات المتّحدة الأمريكية، يجد المدنيون السوريون أنفسهم الحلقة الأضعف، هؤلاء ليس لديهم استراتيجيات لكسر العقوبات، ولا يعرفون الالتفاف عليها، وتضاعفت مخاوفهم من أن يؤدّي هذا القانون إلى ضعف قدرتهم على تأمين احتياجاتهم اليومية

​عاملات المنازل أمام السفارة الأثيوبيّة
مشهد يومي ينبئ بالكارثة الكبرى

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خلال الأسبوع الفائت، عجّت مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي وبعض وسائل الإعلام بصور وفيديوهات تُوثِّق مبيت عاملات منازل من التابعية الأثيوبية في العراء أمام سفارة بلادهنّ التي أقفلت أبوابها، وأعلنت على صفحتها على فيسبوك أنها ستعلّق العمل في مكاتبها في بيروت. وأثار وضع العاملات جزءاً من الرأي العام اللبناني ومنظمات دولية ومحلية وناشطين، ما استدعى تدخل وزارة العمل والتنسيق مع الحكومة اللبنانية والأمن العام لنقلهنّ إلى أحد فنادق العاصمة لليلة واحدة. وصباح الخميس وفي إثر إجراء مؤسسة عامل الدولية فحوصات فيروس كورونا للعاملات في 
​الفندق في عين المريسة أتت جميع نتائجها سلبيّة، قامت منظمة كاريتاس بنقل العاملات إلى مأوى خاص بها. لكن هذا التدخّل الإنقاذي لن يشمل على ما يبدو إلا "سعيدات الحظ" ممن تواجدن أمام السفارة ليل الأربعاء. فقد أكّدت رئيسة دائرة العمل في جبل لبنان الجنوبي في وزارة العمل دة. إيمان خزعل "أنه يستحيل أن تقوم الحكومة اللبنانية بتأمين مأوى لجميع العاملات المشرّدات"، لتحمّل المسؤولية للحكومة الأثيوبية وسفارتها في بيروت "التي من واجبها أن تخفّف الأعباء عن مواطنيها الراغبين بالعودة إلى بلادهم". وهذا ما نستشفه من تجمّع عاملات أُخريات يوم الخميس الماضي مع حقائبهن أو من دون أيّ احتياجات شخصية أو حتى من دون أوراق ثبوتية أمام ممثلية أثيوبيا في بيروت رغبة منهن في العودة إلى بلادهن من دون أن يستمع إليهن أو حتى يقابلهن أحد

A Grave Road Ahead

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There is a confluence of humanitarian and economic woes bearing down on Yemen that evoke the image of tidal waves cresting upon tidal waves, and average Yemenis have been left terrifyingly exposed. The United Nations estimates that 16 million Yemenis may ultimately be infected with the COVID-19 virus. Simultaneously, the warring parties’ response, or lack thereof, to the pandemic’s arrival has been stunningly reckless, and the ongoing retraction of international financial support for the country’s relief effort could not be more ill-timed

KnowWar Webinar Registration

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KnowWar project cordially invites you to the Webinar

“Solidarity Inside Refugee Population in Lebanon:
 Old Forms for New Crises”


Monday, 29 June 2020, 5:00 PM [Beirut time, GMT+3]

The webinar will focus on the issue of solidarity inside Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations in Lebanon, the local solidarity networks during the crisis, and the critique of global neoliberalism, patriarchy, militarism and war.




ADDRESS

Beirut                
PO Box 11-0236,            
Riad El Solh
​1107 2020,        
Beirut, Lebanon     
Tel: +961-1-350000   Ext. 4469

New York           
The Debs Center,            
3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 8th floor    
New York, NY 10017-2303, USA          
Tel:  1-212-583-7600

CONTACT

Website
www.aub.edu.lb/asfari

Email
AsfariInstituteinfo@aub.edu.lb
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