Annual Theme '22-'23: Oceanic Imaginaries and Economies

Welcome to a new academic year! This year, the Abbasi Program’s annual theme will focus on “Oceanic Imaginaries and Economies.” Oceans are timeless representations of expanse, exchange, ecology and connectivity. We are pleased to partner with our umbrella division, Stanford Global Studies, to feature courses, exhibits, and performances that engage with the cultures, geographies, and histories of the Indian Ocean world. The Abbasi Program will explore Indian and Atlantic oceanic exchanges, through the lens of the political economies and histories of Muslim societies. What does it mean to move people, ideas, goods across space? How do such exchanges grow and evolve over time? Does the ocean reify or disrupt borders? What does the “ebb and flow” of economic and cultural exchange look like across time and differing Muslim societies?  

There is much to look forward to this new academic year: to name just a few highlights, we are excited to announce the launch of the Inaugural Abbasi Annual Lecture in January to mark our Program's 20 Year Anniversary next year. We plan to host not one, but two world-class conferences this Spring: the annual meeting for Association for Analytic Learning about Islam and Muslim Societies (AALIMS) and Eurasian Empires: Entangled Histories of Turco-Persian Worlds.In addition, we are proud to partner with Qatar Foundation to host the world's largest student debate forum in Arabic, Qatar Debate, at Stanford this October.