2024 Fall LECTURE SERIES
(updated 22 October 2024)
POSTPONED:
New date will be announced when available.
The Iron Age Townscape of Busayra
This talk draws together past and recent research on the Iron Age townscape of Busayra, widely believed to be the administrative capital of the kingdom of Edom. Excavations during the 1970s revealed a suite of monumental public architecture and residential neighborhoods on the settlement’s summit. Recent research carried out by the speaker and his colleagues have returned to these partially documented buildings to better understand their role in the settlement and in the broader region. Geophysical research in unexcavated areas have determined that these were part of a larger townscape awaiting further study. This talk will describe these new discoveries as well as discuss opportunities to continue site development and community engagement activities in the future.
About the Speaker:
Benjamin W. Porter is an associate professor of Middle Eastern archaeology in the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. An archaeologist and anthropologist, Porter investigates the Bronze and Iron Age societies of the ancient Levant. He has carried out archaeological excavations at Dhiban and Busayra in Jordan. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and the Max Van Berchem Foundation, among others.
NEW DATE!
How Can Large Collections of Machine-Readable Data Support Arabic as a Second/Foreign Language in the Classroom?
13 October 2024
6:00 p.m. Amman Time
Join us via Zoom (Webinar ID: 914027 — Passcode:875 6265 1405); international numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbKvDW3fbj
Watch the YouTube livestream
Arabic language instruction has traditionally focused on Modern Standard Arabic, but there is growing demand for proficiency in the Arabic dialects among students and employers, including the Levantine dialect spoken in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Empirically based pedagogical materials must be further developed to meet this need, and analyzing large collections of machine-readable texts can facilitate the identification of the most frequently used vocabulary, informing materials creation.
To ensure that the multi-million-word collection that she has built faithfully represents the Levantine dialect, Andrea Flinn has interviewed experts who create content in the dialect, including an author, a scholar, an oral historian, a director, a musician, two cartoonists, two founders of language institutes, and a YouTuber, podcaster, and playwright. To gain perspective on how the dialect is typically used in everyday life, she had 16 proficient speakers take detailed notes on how they used the dialect over a four-hour period. The interview and survey results informed the composition of her collection, which features conversations, online written interactions, songs, and YouTube videos. Analysis of this collection can lead not just to the identification of the most frequently used vocabulary, but it can also inform the development of curricula, graded readers, frequency dictionaries, and listening libraries, allowing learners to gain proficiency more efficiently and affordably.
About the Speaker:
Andrea Flinn in a PhD candidate studying applied linguistics and technology at Iowa State University, with a focus on corpus linguistics, which involves the study of language through large collections of machine-readable texts. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell University, a master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from San Francisco State University, and a master’s degree in Arabic from Middlebury College. She has been able to study Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic with the generous funding of fellowships from the Fulbright Program, the Boren Awards, and the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA). She hopes to use her skills in technology and Arabic to support English and Arabic language learners in the United States.
“Very Much Akin”:
The Relationship between Jordan and Oman in the Mid-20th Century
23 September 2024
6:00 p.m. Amman Time
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel
The relationship between Jordan and Oman goes back to the mid-1950s but is little known beyond a handful of specialists. This lecture explores the fascinating political and military history between these two polities over the course of the mid-20th century. Jordan took the side of the Omani rebels during the Jabal Akhdar War (1957–1959), supporting their claims of sovereignty at the United Nations against the Sultan of Muscat. However, over a decade later, Jordan came to the defense of the Sultanate during its fight against communist revolutionaries in region of Dhofar (1964–1975).
The change in policy was due, in part, to the close personal connection between King Hussein of Jordan and Sultan Qaboos bin Sa‘id, who took over Oman in 1970. The two men knew each other and were fellow Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK) alumni. However, Jordan also aided Oman because of changing political dynamics in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, which made Jordanian support for Oman advantageous at the time.
About the Speaker:
Richard Harrod is a PhD candidate in history at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently working on a dissertation focused on the history of Oman in the 20th century. His training and research have been generously supported by Washington University’s History Department, the Walter and Klara Goldschmidt Foundation, the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, New York University Abu Dhabi, the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA), and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). He holds a BA in classics and history from Monmouth College, an MA in Middle East studies from the University of Chicago, and an MA in history from Washington University in St. Louis. His first article, “The Sulṭān’s Treatise: Development and Contending Visions of Oman’s Future in the Late-Nineteen Sixties” has recently been accepted by the Journal of Arabian Studies.
2024 Spring LECTURE SERIES
(updated 21 May 2024)
Please note that the lecture originally scheduled for May 13, 2024, has been postponed.
We hope to reschedule it later in the year.
Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State
22 April 2024
8:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time
Join us via Zoom (Webinar ID: 861 0597 8029 — Passcode: 092768)
Watch the YouTube livestream
Video now available on our YouTube channel
In our next lecture, which will be presented only remotely on April 22, 2024, at 8:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time via Zoom and YouTube livestream, Dr. Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky will talk about his newly published book _Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State_ (Stanford University Press, 2024). In this compelling work, he discusses an historical narrative spanning the late Ottoman era, focusing on the influx of approximately one million Muslim refugees from Russia between the 1850s and World War I. These refugees, settling across the Ottoman Levant, Anatolia, and the Balkans, played a pivotal role in shaping the demographic landscape of the region. The contributions of Circassian and Chechen refugees extend beyond mere resettlement; they were instrumental in the founding of numerous villages, as well as three of the four largest cities in Jordan, among them Amman. Dr. Hamed-Troyansky’s research, drawing from extensive archival materials in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and Russian sourced from Jordan, Turkey, Russia, and beyond, sheds light on this often-overlooked aspect of Ottoman history.
_Empire of Refugees_ offers a fresh perspective, challenging conventional narratives surrounding migration and displacement in the Middle East. Through his analysis, Dr. Troyansky illustrates how the Ottoman government established a sophisticated refugee regime that preceded the formal frameworks developed later by the League of Nations and the United Nations. This pioneering work not only enriches our understanding of the late Ottoman period but also provides valuable insights into broader historical and contemporary issues of migration and refugee governance.
Dr. Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky is an historian of global migration and forced displacement and an assistant professor of global studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition to _Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State_ (Stanford University Press, 2024), he has written articles that have appeared in _Past & Present_, _Comparative Studies in Society and History_, _International Journal of Middle East Studies_, _Slavic Review_, and _Kritika_. He received his PhD in history from Stanford University, and during his graduate studies ACOR awarded him a Pierre and Patricia Bikai Fellowship (2013–2014) to examine court records from the Salt and Amman areas for insights into the social and economic life of refugees in Ottoman Transjordan. He has also been a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.
The speaker will be pleased to answer questions after the presentation.
Diving the Dead Sea: Archaeological Investigation of Kallirhoe
a lecture by Pearce Paul Creasman and Aktham Oweidi
25 March 2024
6:30 p.m. (Amman) (followed by Iftar)
Join us in person at the American Center of Research (click for location and directions)
Join us via Zoom (Webinar ID: 863 3593 1197 — Passcode: 114446)
Watch the YouTube livestream
Video now available on our YouTube channel
In collaboration with the Department of Antiquities, the American Center of Research conducted a brief season of survey and exploratory excavation at the Dead Sea port site of Kallirhoe (modern ‘Ain ez-Zara) in fall 2023. The port, which served the citadel of Machaerus (Mukawer), dates from at least as early as the Hasmonaean period (1st century BCE), and its springs appear on the Madaba map (6th century CE). This brief illustrated lecture will describe the work performed on land and underwater as we sought to better understand the site through archaeology — including the first in-person underwater survey ever done in the Dead Sea, which presented logistical challenges and encountered unexpected conditions.
The lecture will be followed by Iftar at ACOR!
The speaker will be pleased to answer questions after the presentation.
Prof. Pearce Paul Creasman became executive director of the American Center of Research in February 2020, having come from the University of Arizona where he was a professor and curator starting in 2009 with a focus on the heritage, archaeology, and environment of the Middle East and North Africa. Starting in 2012, he served as director of the University of Arizona Egyptian Expedition. He has worked in several countries in the region, his most recent archaeological project being directing the excavations at the pyramids and royal necropolis of Nuri, Sudan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dr. Creasman’ s formal training includes a PhD and MA in nautical archaeology from Texas A&M University, as well as graduate certifications in conservation and heritage preservation. He holds a BA from the University of Maine in anthropology and philosophy. With more than 100 publications to his credit, Dr. Creasman has been recognized for his work by several institutions, including the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and as a fellow of The Explorer’s Club and the Royal Geographic Society, and he was honored as a “Genius” in National Geographic’s 2021 almanac.
About the Speaker:
Digging Together: Community and Discovery in the Abdoun Community Archaeology Project
a lecture by Matthew Vincent
12 February 2024
6:30 p.m. (Amman)
Join us in person at the American Center of Research (click for location and directions)
Join us via Zoom (Webinar ID: 810 8859 7266 — Passcode: 736391)
Watch the YouTube livestream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcOzuW5NrssVideo now available on our YouTube channel
This lecture will share the story of the Abdoun Community Archaeology Project, a pioneering initiative that places community engagement at the heart of archaeological exploration. Founded in 2021 as a partnership between the American Center of Research and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, the project serves as a place to deepen the involvement of members of the public with the rich history and heritage of the area. In other words, it is an opportunity for people to get their hands dirty! Under the close supervision of trained professionals, volunteers are welcomed to help understand and excavate the site. With a focus on ensuring that those who live around archaeological sites have an appreciation for historical structures and the past, the goal of the project is simply to see more people informed and involved.
In his lecture, Matthew Vincent will emphasize the project’s commitment to engaging local communities as active participants, creating a rich, shared experience while still emphasizing the archaeological process. He will also shed light on the recent discoveries made by the project, demonstrating how a community-focused approach can lead to meaningful and meticulous exploration of our past.
And he will be pleased to answer questions after the presentation.
About the Speaker:
Matthew Vincent joined the American Center of Research in October 2022 as a project co-director for the National Inventory Project. He has been involved with the archaeology of Jordan since 2004, when he joined his first excavation at Tall al-’Umayri. Since that initial season of work in Jordan, he has been looking for new ways that technology can serve cultural heritage, both for preserving our past for future generations and for advancing our ability to conduct research now.
Online lectures on demand
Did you know ACOR has dozens of recordings of past academic presentations, available for free on our YouTube channel? Click here to see our video list, including short presentations from virtual academic conferences (e.g., ASOR and MESA) as well as feature lecture events held at ACOR in past years.
