ABOUT WOCMES-2

The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies is pleased to announce that it has been selected to organize the Second World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES-2) in Amman, Jordan on 11-16 June 2006.

The first WOCMES, held in Mainz, Germany, was based upon an initiative by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and was a joint congress of the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES) and the German, British, French and Italian Middle Eastern studies associations (DAVO, BRISMES, AFEMAM, SeSaMO), as well as their equivalents elsewhere in Europe and the Arab and wider world. The event was an unqualified success, bringing together some 2,000 scholars and experts from 52 different countries to share and exchange their research, experience and ideas through 1110 individual presentations in over 400 panels, workshops, symposia and exhibitions.

The second WOCMES promises to surpass its predecessor. For the first time, experts on the Middle East drawn from all over the world and all branches of the humanities and social sciences will assemble together in the region to share and exchange their research, experience and ideas, and to discuss the challenges of methodology vs. theory and praxis vs. politics and their possible resolutions. It promises to be an unprecedented event that will finally bring Middle Eastern studies to the Middle East.

Local and international media and high-ranking decision-makers involved in political, economic and cultural spheres are also expected to attend and to disseminate, in the months that follow, the new ideas and interpretations that they encounter in Amman.

WOCMES-2 will be a unique academic event that will strengthen and build regional and global networks for joint research. More than a meeting place, it will also be a showcase for Middle Eastern learning and culture, featuring two book fairs (Arabic/International) attended by book-sellers, publishers and authors; exhibitions of modern Arab art by Jordan’s national and local galleries; other exhibitions related to various aspects of Middle Eastern studies; a film festival with panel discussions; and an exciting musical program. Finally, it will also be a gateway to the Arab, Islamic and Mediterranean worlds, giving participants an unprecedented opportunity to visit historical and contemporary sites related to their fields of interest in Jordan and in neighbouring countries during and after the congress.

The WOCMES-2 Secretariat would like to emphasize that Jordan’s stability and security, its openness to new ideas and its reputation for religious and political tolerance make it one of the few places in the Middle East capable of hosting this event. Anyone who registers and has a valid passport will be able to obtain a visa and attend.

We hope that you will work with us to make WOCMES-2 a memorable and meaningful experience. You are invited to visit the WOCMES-2 website where you will be able to register and obtain all the necessary information about the congress.

HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President of WOCMES-2
HE Ambassador Hasan Abu Nimah, Director of RIIFS
Baker al-Hiyari, General-Secretary of WOCMES-2

WOCMES-2 Secretariat
Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS)
PO Box 830 562, Amman 11183, Jordan
Tel: 962 6 4618051; Fax: 962 6 4618053
http://www.wocmes2.org