Ali Ahmida presents at two university conferences, Libyan Studies Center, in March

Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, participated in the Fifth Annual Undergraduate Conference on Colonialism and Empire at Washington University in St. Louis on March 26-27.  The conference is a student-organized showcase for undergraduate work.  Invited panelists examined imperialism from a variety of unique perspectives, including examinations of the intellectual philosophies surrounding the colonial era and its continued impact on the world.  Ahmida presented the keynote lecture, "Italian Fascism - A Lesser Evil? Colonial Libya 1929-1933."   Ahmida also participated in The Islamic Studies Roundtable with his lecture, "Orality and Agency under Colonial Internments in Libya: Research Problems and Perspectives." 

Professor Ahmida also presented at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania's conference, "Middle East and North Africa at the Crossroads" on March 23.  His lecture was entitled, "Beyond Orientalist, Colonial and Nationalists Models: A Critical Mapping of Maghrbi Studies."  The conference was sponsored by the Kutztown University Office of International Studies.

On March 17, Ahmida spoke at the Libyan Studies Center in Tripoli, Libya on the topic, "What is Historical Sociology?"