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Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
NU-Q, ACSS launch new scholarly association for Arab Media Studies
Tribune News Network Doha The Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South at Northwestern University in Qatar (IAS NU-Q) and the Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) have announced the launch of the Society for Humanistic Arab Media Studies (SHAMS), a pioneering trilingual scholarly association dedicated to advancing rigorous, multidisciplinary, and humanistic research on Arab media in their social, cultural, and political-economic contexts. The new joint initiative, supported in part by Carnegie Corporation of New York, is part of Northwestern Qatar's Arab Information and Media Studies (AIMS) project and builds on the Institute's long-standing partnership with ACSS. It aims to strengthen humanistic research and knowledge production in the Arab region and foster rigorous, interdisciplinary research that enriches the intellectual landscape of Arab media studies by drawing on a wide range of disciplines. This includes literature, history, and philosophy, media studies, digital humanities, and postcolonial theory. 'Working with ACSS has shown us just how powerful trilingualism can be in creating connected, overlapping scholarly publics,' said Marwan M Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar. 'With SHAMS, we are building on that idea; not just to promote research on Arab media, but to bring together a multilingual network of scholars who have deep expertise about the region. What excites me most is that SHAMS will be a space led by scholars, grounded in the Arab world, and committed to critical thinking from the South about their region. It's exactly the kind of initiative we envisioned when we launched the AIMS project—and I can't wait to see how it grows.' The initiative was launched at the ACSS' seventh conference in Beirut, where the Institute led a scholarly discussion under the conference theme 'Devastation, Imaginaries and Knowledge: Regional Junctures and Global Repercussions'. Faculty and scholars from across the Northwestern University in Qatar community showcased a wide range of scholarly works. This includes an analysis of televised representations of youth in Guinea by Clovis Bergère, director of IAS NU-Q , and three film screenings curated by associate professor Rana Kazkaz and IAS NU-QGlobal Postdoctoral Scholar Chafic Najem. As part of the conference programme, Dean Kraidy chaired a panel on Arab digitalities,exploring how digital technologies are shaping everyday life across the Arab region. The panel brought together research on the intersections of media, politics, and lived experience. Panellists included Najem, who presented 'Buying Time: Regimes of Temporal Capital and the Telecommunication Vortex of Lebanon', Leila Tayeb, assistant professor in residence at Northwestern Qatar, who discussed 'Arab Drones: Being (Targeted) and Listening', and Nermin El Sherif, assistant professor in residence at Utrecht University, who examined 'Controlling 'Live': Internet Trends, Media Panics, and the Social Reproduction of a Silent Nation'. In another session, scholars explored how the 'digital' can be conceptualised and studied within an InterAsia framework. Panellists included Harsha Man Maharjan, a Global Postdoctoral Scholar at IAS NU-Q, who proposed a transregional approach to national ID systems in his presentation, 'An InterAsian Digitalities Framework: A Proposal for National Digital Identification Studies'; Ada Petiwala, assistant professor of Media Studies at the American University of Beirut, who examined how digital narratives of tolerance obscure structural violence in 'India-UAE-Israel: Tolerance/Violence in the New Middle East Order'; and Mariam Karim, also a Global Postdoctoral Scholar at IAS NU-Q, who offered a feminist intervention into digital archival practices in her talk, 'Towards a Feminist Definition of 'InterAsian Digitalities': Nazrah Arabyya'.
Qatar Tribune
06-05-2025
- General
- Qatar Tribune
Northwestern Qatar celebrates graduation of Class of 2025
Tribune News Network Doha Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2025 at its 14th annual ceremony, held at the Qatar National Convention Center. The event brought together university leadership, faculty, staff, families, and guests to honour the achievements of this year's graduates, who now join a growing global network of Northwestern alumni. The Class of 2025 represents a dynamic and resilient group of students who completed their undergraduate journey during a period marked by rapid global change and regional challenges. Hailing from more than 18 countries, the 118 graduates studied journalism, communication, and liberal arts while also contributing to award-winning student projects, groundbreaking research, and community initiatives in Qatar and beyond. In his address to the graduates, Marwan M Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar, reflected on the symbolic power of light—or nūr—as a guiding principle for the journey ahead. 'A flame is not only burning heat; it is also light and warmth,' said Kraidy. 'As you leave here, take that habit of critical reflection with you. Use the flame to build a hearth. Start from a place of openness. Pause. Consider all sides. Then decide where your light should shine.' Encouraging graduates to lead with purpose and integrity, he reminded them that 'one small flame can ignite a thousand candles.' In a unique, full-circle moment, HE Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al Thani, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour in Qatar and Class of 2015 alumna, returned to the stage as this year's graduation speaker, a decade after delivering the student address at her own graduation. Reflecting on the transformation from student to professional, she said, 'The Najwa that went to Northwestern feels like a different person from a different life.' Her speech balanced humour with heartfelt advice, encouraging the Class of 2025 to 'trust the process, play the long game, and change the way you see yourself.' She also recounted her journey since graduating, from navigating postgraduate studies in Oxford to building a career shaped by rejection, resilience, and reinvention. 'While many before me have carved out the space for those of us from the region, we remain underrepresented,' she said. 'We have a value to bring to the table, a voice that cannot be substituted by those who write about us.' Drawing from Arabic philosophy, she urged the graduates to embrace wasilah—the means by which we pursue our goals—as the true measure of character. Class of 2025 Speaker Fairuz Yosef Issa addressed her fellow graduates, congratulating them on their achievements and reflecting on the spirit of resilience and perseverance that defined them. 'We arrived here as individuals,' she noted, 'but today, we leave as a collective, bonded by shared challenges, late-night deadlines, and the belief that stories matter.' A journalism student known for her advocacy and commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices, she reflected on the unique journey of her class: from entering university at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic to graduating at a time of a rapidly shifting world. 'Northwestern didn't just teach us how to write headlines,' she said. 'It taught us how to listen closely, speak honestly, and show up—especially when it's uncomfortable.' Another highlight of this year's ceremony was the attendance of a senior delegation from Northwestern University's home campus, underscoring Northwestern's support for the campus and community in Qatar. The group included members of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees, Peter J Barris, chair of the Board, and Provost Kathleen Hagerty. Alongside Dean Kraidy, they participated in the graduation processions and engaged with students, faculty, and staff during the visit. The ceremony concluded with graduates processing out beneath the Weber Arch, a powerful reversal of their symbolic entry into university life.
