Public History in the Middle East

Organized by the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South at Northwestern University in Qatar (#IAS_NUQ), Qatar National Library, the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), and the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, this conference brings together scholars and practitioners to examine the evolving field of public history in the Middle East. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, participants will explore how history is preserved, interpreted, and shared across digital archives, museums, oral history projects, and community initiatives.

By highlighting research on memory, cultural heritage, marginalized histories, and public engagement, the conference aims to foster new approaches to documenting the region's past while strengthening collaborations across institutions and disciplines.

Following the conference, C²DH will host a closed workshop on Wednesday, October 21, titled Our History and the Future: Lessons in Public and Participatory History from the SWANA Region. Bringing together invited scholars, archivists, artists, journalists, and cultural practitioners, the workshop will examine approaches to making history more public, participatory, and accessible while exploring the methods and ethics of collaborative history-making across local, transnational, and digital contexts.