“Syria in the Arab Revolutions: Two Years On”

This talk will focus on the transformation of the Syrian uprisings over the last two years and provide an analysis of both the geopolitical and grassroots forces. How can we begin to understand the conflict in Syria? Who are the different actors on the ground? What positions might we consider taking in this country?

Bio:
Sami Hermez is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. Previous to this he has held posts as Visiting Professor of Contemporary International Issues at the University of Pittsburgh, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Mt. Holyoke College, and Postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Lebanese Studies, St. Antony’s College, Oxford University. He obtained his doctorate degree in January 2011 from the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University, where his research was with former militia fighters and current political activists, and dealt with questions of the anticipation of war in everyday life in Lebanon. His research is concerned with political violence, social movements, the state, memory, security and human rights in the Arab World. He has also worked in various organizations, among them, the US Peace Corps, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Development Program.