Almanac is a student-run initiative at the University of Oxford. Every two weeks, a number of students sit down for an in-depth discussion about the region which has made history for thousands of years and continues to make headlines today.
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| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independence and Colonialism in the Western Sahara | Piotr Schulkes, Helna Murphy, Hajar Meddah, and Felix Walker discuss the recent development in the Western Sahara, caused by America’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. | Piotr Schulkes, Helna Murphy, Hajar Meddah, Felix Walker | 06 Oct 2021 | |
| 2 | History, politics, and Anecdotes with Eugene Rogan | Piotr Schulkes and Eugene Rogan discuss the importance of history in contemporary Middle Eastern politics, how the West discusses the region, and a number of stories from Rogan’s time at Oxford. | Piotr Schulkes, Eugene Rogan | 22 Feb 2021 | |
| 3 | Lebanon’s Economic and political crisis | Piotr Schulkes, Felix Walker, and Michael Memari cover the ongoing crises in Lebanon’s political and economic systems. | Michael Memari, Felix Walker, Piotr Schulkes | 09 Feb 2021 | |
| 4 | New Year’s Episode | The whole team gets together to discuss what their moment of note of 2020 was, what they are looking out for in 2021, and what their favourite book on the Middle East is. | Piotr Schulkes, Helena Murphy, Frederike Brockhoven, Max Randall | 26 Jan 2021 | |
| 5 | Child abuse and dancing boys in Afghanistan | Piotr Schulkes, Rose Johnson, and Max Randall dive into the phenomenon of the Dancing Boys of Afghanistan. | Piotr Schulkes, Rose Johnson, Max Randall | 03 Dec 2020 | |
| 6 | Avi Shlaim on Revisionist History and Israel | Piotr Schulkes and Avi Shlaim, Fellow of the British Academy, sit down to discuss Israel’s New Historians; who they are, what they believe, and the popular reception to it. | Avi Shlaim, Piotr Schulkes | 20 Nov 2020 | |
| 7 | Orientalism and the Language of the Middle East | Lillie Sullivan, Piotr Schulkes, and Hajar Meddah discuss what the Middle East as a region is and how it is portrayed in academia and the media. | Piotr Schulkes, Hajar Meddah, Lillie Sullivan | 02 Nov 2020 | |
| 8 | Female Entrepreneurship in the Middle East | Frederike Brockhoven sits down with Rania Ayman of Entreprenelle, Yasmeen Mjalli of Babyfist, and Lina Khalifeh of Shefighter to discuss female entrepreneurship in the Middle East. | Frederike Brockhoven, Rania Ayman, Lina Khalifeh | 07 Oct 2020 | |
| 9 | The Kafala System | Hajar Meddah, Felix Walker and Piotr Schulkes discuss the Middle East’s controversial Kafala system, that allows employers to exploit workers and undermine their rights without breaking the law. | Hajar Meddah, Felix Walker, Piotr Schulkes | 28 Sep 2020 | |
| 10 | Normalization, annexation, and the Palestinians | Piotr Schulkes, Frederike Brockhoven, and Michael Memari discuss the impact of the normalization of the UAE-Israeli relationship on Netanyahu’s annexation plan, why it's yet more bad news for Palestinians, and American reticence to improve the situation. | Michael Memari, Frederike Brockhoven, Piotr Schulkes | 08 Sep 2020 |