Since 2020, the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA)’s Social Justice Committee has been offering a series of talks on social justice in librarianship and cultural heritage sectors. The Lecture Series aims to increase awareness of social justice principles in our professional practice and to bring attention to how libraries and archives are supporting, or failing to support, crucial research on social justice-related topics.
Fifth Season of the Social Justice Lecture Series (January-April 2025)
Social Justice in Focus: The Impact of the War on Gaza on Palestinian Cultural Heritage
For the upcoming fifth season of the Social Justice Lecture Series, entitled “Social Justice in Focus: The Impact of the War on Gaza on Palestinian Cultural Heritage,” we will invite scholars to address the impact of the ongoing war on Gaza, the fragility of cultural heritage in conflict situations, the urgent need for protective measures, and the barriers researchers face in accessing resources.
Themes of Past Seasons (2020-2024)
The first season (2020-2021) coincided with a global movement fighting anti-blackness and featured ten scholars presenting new research on race in the Middle East and its diasporas. For the second season (2021-2022), we focused on the challenges and opportunities faced by information professionals stewarding Middle Eastern collections around the world, hosting eight librarians, archivists, and curators who spoke about their experiences. The third and fourth seasons (2022-2024) expanded on the theme of ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East. While many lectures were not recorded, those that were are available on our YouTube channel.
Support for the Series:
We have offered honorariums to all speakers hosted thus far, thanks to generous donations to our successful GoFundMe campaigns. We are launching another fundraiser for this season to continue this valued tradition.
Please donate here: https://gofund.me/a3f8b260, every little bit helps!
Click here for descriptions of Social Justice Lecture Series Season 3 with links to recordings
Click here for descriptions of Social Justice Lecture Series Season 2 with links to recordings
Click here for descriptions of Social Justice Lecture Series Season 1 with links to recordings