First Workshop: Purpose and Schedule
 

The Inaugural Workshop
The purpose of this inaugural meeting is to think out loud and collectively about a set of crucial issues/objectives (see below). Additionally, we would like to begin drafting an agenda for moving forward with regard to subsequent meetings and activities here in the United States as well as in Europe and in the region. We also need to discuss the meaning, utility, and mechanism of building a Political Economy Network, a platform, and a resource bank/base. Other suggestions are naturally welcome by virtue of the raison d'etre of this endeavor.


Preliminary Objectives
We are entertaining the following set of objectives, plans, and ideas, all of which can be refined and revised collectively, at the meeting, and/or in due time.

1. We would like to bring research and production in political economy to the center of research endeavors to the extent possible.

2. We would like to address network building among folks, between and across disciplines and geographical focus, so as to build synergy and not make efforts mutually exclusive.

3. We would like to encourage collaborative projects/analysis/texts.

4. We would like to consider building a platform (electronic and beyond, on Jadaliyya or elsewhere), maybe eventually a training institute, which can be lodged in one or more of the universities where we teach. It is ambitious, but we can decide the pace and contours later.

5. We would like to build a resource base that is truly useful and user-friendly for folks doing research in political economy.

6. We would like to carve out time and funds for empirically non-pressing analytical/theoretical treatments/conversations (and not let the “moment” consume our efforts).

7. We would like to ask our colleagues to nominate other folks who might be interested in this project, so we may invite them.

8. [Suggestions?]

Clearly this is an ambitious list, but it allows us to share some of the material that we would like to address and discuss without foreclosing other suggestions.
 
Workshop Gallery:
What is Political Economy?: The Inaugural Political Economy Project Workshop (Part 1) - from Status/الوضع Panels
What is Political Economy?: The Inaugural Political Economy Project Workshop (Part 2) - from Status/الوضع Panels
click above to visit Status/الوضع

Workshop and Logistics

Political Economy Project


AGENDA
Internal Workshop 1



Timeline Summary 

Friday April 24, 2015
  • Workshop Sessions 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ASI Conference Room)
  • Dinner at 6:00 p.m. (Bombay Bistro)

Saturday April 25, 2015
  • Workshop Sessions 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ASI Conference Room)
  • Dinner at 6:00 p.m. (Baladna)
  • Party/Gathering at 8:30 pm (Bassam and Noura’s)

Attendees (PEP)   
Bassam Haddad, Adam Hanieh, Sherene Seikaly, Omar Dahi, Laleh Khalili, Joel Beinin, Toby Jones, Melani Cammett, Ziad Abu-Rish, Max Ajl, Pete Moore, Ahmad Shokr, Paul Amar, Aaron Jakes, Wael Gamal, Rafeef Ziadah, Charles Anderson, Firat Bozcali, Toufic Haddad, Mandy Turner, Shana Marshall

Guests:     
Chris Toensing , Sheila Carapico, Noura Erakat, Ricky Martin

Organizing Team (PEP) 
Bassam Haddad, Adam Hanieh, Sherene Seikaly, Ziad Abu-Rish, Melissa Bejjani, Michael Ernst, Nader Atasi, Ezzat Shehadeh. Status Rapporteurs: Nour Joudah, Tariq Radi

Address, Transportation, and Contact information
  • For logistical or other information, contact Melissa Bejjani at Melissa@ArabStudiesInstitute.org
  • Contact in case of emergency: Bassam: (703) 887-5257; Melissa Bejjani: (202) 696-0799
  • All transportation provided. See Bus Schedule below

                    ASI Conference Room Address:
                    Middle East Studies

                    4087 University Drive, Suite 3200

                    Commerce Building, MSN 1H3

                    Fairfax, VA 22030        
                    Map Link


BUS SCHEDULE

April 24
8:30am - One-way Transfer: Pickup at Courtyard Marriott (11220 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy, Fairfax) to GMU Commerce Building (4087 University Drive, Fairfax)

5:15pm - Pickup at GMU Commerce Building to Courtyard Marriott (Leave hotel at 6:30) to Bombay Bistro (3570 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax) to Courtyard Marriott  (Leave dinner at 8:45)

April 25
8:45am - One-way Transfer: Pickup at Courtyard Marriott (11220 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy, Fairfax) to GMU Commerce Building (4087 University Drive, Fairfax)

5:15pm - Pickup at GMU Commerce Building to Courtyard Marriott (Leave hotel at 6:30) to Baladna Restaurant (11266 James Swart Circle, Fairfax) (Leave dinner at 8:30) to Professor's House (10832 Oakcrest Ct, Fairfax) 

11:30pm - Pickup at Bassam/Noura’s House to return to Courtyard Marriott



SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, 24 APRIL             *Times are approximate—final breakdown provided at meeting.

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.        Set-Up and Breakfast                                 @ASI Office Conference Room

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.      Introduction of Participants                            

10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.    Introduction to the Project                              

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.    Introduction to Knowledge Production Project: 
                                             Linkages and Political 
                                             Economy Research Committee  

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.    Coffee Break                                                      

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.      General Discussion of Purpose and Goals  

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.        Lunch 
                                             (Resource Page Development Presentation/Discussion)

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.        Presentations (Part 1) (10 min each)
                                                    : : See page 3 for order : :

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.        Coffee Break 

3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.        Presentations (Continued) 



SATURDAY, 25 APRIL        *Times are approximate—final breakdown provided at meeting.

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.         Breakfast                                                       @ASI Office Conference Room

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.       Presentations (Part 2) (10 min each)
                                                     : : See page 3 for order : :

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 p.m.     Coffee            

11:30 A.m. – 1:00 p.m.       General Discussion of Presentation Themes

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.          Lunch
                                               (Discussion Continues During Lunch)

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.          Governance, Committees, and Funding (Starting Points)

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.          Coffee Break

3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.          Future Workshops

Non-Workshop Activities

Friday: Dinner at 6:45 pm, free night!

Saturday: Dinner at 6:45 pm, Party/Gathering at Bassam and Noura’s at 8:30 pm, Optional Debauchery. Bus leaves back to hotel at 11:30

(See Bus Schedule Above for Transportation)



Presentations Schedule (10 Minutes Each)

Presentations may address any aspect(s) of the following questions. However, feel free to improvise and/or share your own work/research agenda as well.
  1. What is your conception of 'political economy' and how do you incorporate PE into your own research agenda? 
  2. What do you consider good political economy texts and why?
  3. What are some of the pressing questions/concerns you would like to see (or avoid) in some or any agenda in political economy? (this may address the region, or not)
  4. What types of academic initiatives do you think could help in supporting and strengthening your work in PE, and help to push the field forward productively?

Provisional Order of Presentation : : Papers Here
(Presentation #11 through #14 might fall on either day depending on the progress of the meeting)

  1. Pete Moore
  2. Sherene Seikaly
  3. Melani Cammett
  4. Omar Dahi
  5. Joel Beinin
  6. Paul Amar
  7. Toufic Haddad
  8. Firat Bozcali
  9. Charles Anderson
  10. Mandy Turner
  11. Ziad Abu-Rish
  12. Toby Jones
  13. Max Ajl
  14. Laleh Khalili
  15. Wael Gamal
  16. Ahmad Shokr
  17. Aaron Jakes
  18. John Warner
  19. Rafeef Ziadah
  20. Shana Marshall
  21. Adam Hanieh
  22. Bassam Haddad 
​CONFIRMED EVENTS

First Workshop (April 24-25, 2015)
"Development and the Uprisings"
Location: ASI Office, George Mason 

Second Workshop (June 14-15, 2015)
"The Arab Uprisings: Class Formation and Class Dynamics"
Location: SOAS, London

Third Workshop (September 14, 2015)
"The Palestinian Economy: Fragmentation and Colonization" 
Location: Birzeit University, Ramallah

Fourth Workshop (September 17, 2015)
​"Tunisia: An Economy in Transition"
Location: Tunis, Tunisia

Fifth Workshop (October 8, 2015)
​"Turkey: Migrant States and Mobile Economies"
Location: GMU, VA

Sixth Workshop (November 6, 2015)
​"Political Economy of the Middle East: Continuities and Discontinuities in Teaching  and Research"
Location: GMU, VA

Seventh Workshop (November 7, 2015)
"Pedagogy Workshop"
Location: GMU, VA

Eighth Workshop (February 19-21, 2016) 
“New Directions in Middle Political Economy"
Location: Stanford, CA
​