Crown Center for Middle East Studies

Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a state of conflict driven by a power struggle between two rival military factions that has devastated the country. Over three million people were displaced just in the first 100 days, thousands killed, and many more wounded. But what do we actually know about the conflict in Sudan?

In this episode, Naghmeh Sohrabi speaks with Anna Simone Reumert, who has conducted extensive ethnographic work with Sudanese migrant workers in Lebanon and Sudan. In their conversation, they cover a wide variety of topics from a basic understanding of the various local and global actors to what we miss when we insist on calling the conflict a civil war; the ways in which comparisons to the Lebanese civil war shed light on the conflict in Sudan; and an assessment of available diplomatic solutions.

Anna Simone Reumert, postdoctoral fellow at the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at the New School in New York City.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "Sudan's Conflict is Not Just a Civil War"

In the United States, Salafism has become synonymous with Islamic fundamentalism or Jihadism. But what do we really know about Salafism? Join host Naghmeh Sohrabi as she speaks with Raihan Ismail, author of Rethinking Salafism: The Transnational Networks of Salafi ‘Ulama in Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, about misconceptions surrounding Salafi thought, the surprising diversity in Salafi traditions, and the significance of local contexts in shaping their positions on issues such as Shi’ism, women, and allegiance to rulers.

Raihan Ismail, senior lecturer at the Australian National University and the Goldman Faculty Leave Fellow at the Crown Center.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "Not All Salafis Are Jihadis"

Almost as soon as there was an Arab Spring, there was talk of an Arab winter. In Egypt, mass demonstrations in January 2011 led to the end of Hosni Mobarak’s 30-year presidency. But only two years later, the military removed the elected president, Mohammad Morsi, and arrested him and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood. By 2014, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who had led the coup, was elected president and remains so until today. The revolution, by most accounts, had failed. In this episode of Counter/Argument, Youssef El Chazli argues otherwise. Join host Naghmeh Sohrabi as she and El Chazli discuss misconceptions surrounding the success of the Egyptian revolution and the enduring role the revolution plays in shaping Egyptian society, as well as the Egyptian state today.

Youssef El Chazli, associate professor/Maitre de conférences of Sociology at the University of Paris 8 Vincennes - Saint-Denis. He was previously a junior research fellow at the Crown Center.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "The Egyptian Revolution Is Not a Failed Revolution"

For over 30 years, Dr. Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, has been conducting public opinion polls of Palestinian and Israeli views on a wide variety of issues. What do these polls tell us about Palestinian society today and about possibilities for the future? Join host Karen Spira as she and Shikaki discuss some of the misconceptions surrounding Palestinian views about democracy, resistance, and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority in light of escalating violence and diminishing prospects for a peace agreement.

Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah and founding senior fellow at the Crown Center.
Karen Spira, assistant director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University.

Listen to "Not All Palestinians Think the Same"

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan may look like an island of stability in the Middle East. Yet, hundreds of protests take place in the streets of Jordan’s towns and cities every year. What are people protesting? Why does the regime tolerate it? And what is at stake? Join guest host Daniel Neep as he speaks with Dr. Jillian Schwedler about the significance of seemingly mundane popular protests on state and society in Jordan and other misconceptions about Jordan.

Jillian Schwedler, professor of political science at the City University of New York’s Hunter College and the Graduate Center and the author of Protesting Jordan: Geographies of Power and Dissent (Stanford University, 2022). She is also a non-resident fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University.
Daniel Neep, Mellon Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a non-resident fellow at the Crown Center. He was previously the assistant director for research and a sabbatical fellow at the Crown Center.

Listen to "Protests in Jordan Are Not Mundane"

In part one of this two-part episode of Counter/Argument, we spoke with Golnar Nikpour, assistant professor of history at Dartmouth College and former Neubauer Junior Research Fellow at the Crown Center, about the expansion of prisons in 20th century Iran and took a closer look at the significance of the notorious Evin prison within Iran’s carceral system. In part two, join host Naghmeh Sohrabi as she and Nikpour discuss some of the misconceptions about how and why people end up in Iran’s prisons as well as the regime’s use of new technologies to surveille the population.

Golnar Nikpour, assistant professor of history at Dartmouth College and former Neubauer Junior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "Not All Prisoners Are Political Prisoners in Iran"

In October 2022, news broke out about a fire in Evin, Iran’s notorious prison, killing several prisoners and injuring many more. This fire became yet another flashpoint in Iran’s autumn of discontent and thrust Iran’s carceral system into the limelight. But what do we actually know about Evin and Iran’s system of crime and punishment? In part one of this two-part episode of Counter/Argument, we speak with Golnar Nikpour, assistant professor of history at Dartmouth College and former Neubauer Junior Research Fellow at the Crown Center, who is currently finishing her first book on a history of Iranian prisons and prisoners in a global context. Join host Naghmeh Sohrabi as she and Nikpour discuss some common misconceptions about prisons, prisoners, and crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Golnar Nikpour, assistant professor of history at Dartmouth College and former Neubauer Junior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "Evin Is Not the Only Prison in Iran"

Why is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan so enthusiastic about planting trees? In this episode, we speak with Ekin Kurtiç, 2022-2024 Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University and former Neubauer Junior Research Fellow at the Crown Center, who argues that the Turkish government’s interest in greening Turkey is an attempt to monopolize the environmental agenda and turn legitimate protest into criminal activity. Join guest host Daniel Neep as he and Kurtiç examine misconceptions about the Turkish government’s tree planting and other “greening” campaigns, and explore the complex history and politics of environmentalism in the country.

Ekin Kurtiç, the 2022-2024 Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University and previously the Neubauer Junior Research Fellow at the Crown Center.
Daniel Neep, Mellon Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a non-resident fellow at the Crown Center. He was previously the assistant director for research and a sabbatical fellow at the Crown Center.

Listen to "Planting Trees in Turkey Is Not Environmental Activism"

When you think of the Middle East, chances are that modern art is not the first thing that comes to mind. In our first episode of Counter/Argument: A Middle East Podcast, we speak with the founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, who argues that modern art is a key component of protest movements across the contemporary Middle East. Join host Naghmeh Sohrabi as she and Al Qassemi discuss misconceptions surrounding the link between politics and art, the significance of modern art in the Middle East, and the history and role of women artists in the region.

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, an Emirati columnist and researcher, and the founder of Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, UAE.
Naghmeh Sohrabi, director for research at the Crown Center, and the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History.

Listen to "Middle East Art Is Not Calligraphy"

Counter/Argument: A Middle East Podcast is produced by the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. Through conversations with scholars and practitioners encompassing a variety of disciplines and perspectives, each episode will debunk key misconceptions about the contemporary Middle East. Counter/Argument is committed to a balanced and dispassionate approach to the region and to making scholarship more widely accessible.

The Crown Center would like to thank Daniel Neep, Maya Walborsky, and Vikas Bhalla for their help in developing this podcast. 

Listen to "Teaser: The Middle East is Not __________"