1. Coe
  2. Why Coe
  3. Events
  4. Calendar of Events

Calendar of Events

Amman and Beirut: A Century of Urban Change

Amman and Beirut: A Century of Urban Change

JulieFairbanks.jpgIn this one-week forum, Professor of Anthropology Julie Fairbanks will trace the history of change in the Middle Eastern cities of Amman and Beirut. The session will use the built landscape of each locale as the basis for examining Jordanian and Lebanese societies. Amman, the capital of Jordan, and Beirut, the Lebanese capital, offer two vantage points onto the making and remaking of urban landscapes in the Middle East over the course of the 20th century. Both cities bear signs of colonial influence and both include neighborhoods that originated as refugee camps for people displaced in the events that followed the 1948 creation of the state of Israel. The two cities are also home to luxury residential and commercial buildings, showpieces of modern architectural design. At the same time, the trajectories of the two capitals have diverged. While Amman gradually expanded outward from its historic downtown, Beirut witnessed a dramatic re-creation following the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1981) and additional destruction and reconstruction in subsequent years. As a whole, this forum will consider the role of place and architecture in holding memory, constructing identity and simultaneously negotiating past and present.

Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.

Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and each session of two- and three-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/why-coe/events/thursday-forum.

In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.