The year 2025 marked the 150th anniversary of Thamarat al-Funun (“Fruits of the Arts”), an influential biweekly published in Beirut (1875-1908) during the Nahda/Arab Renaissance of the 19th century. The paper featured contemporary debates on politics, colonialism, reform, and modernization, among others. To celebrate this milestone and to continue on its tradition of fostering intellectual and critical conversations, the Department of History and Archaeology suggested reviving the Thamarat al-Funun, now as a forum for discussion and peer review of graduate students' research projects and guest scholars' works-in-progress in the field of Middle Eastern studies. Through inter-disciplinary dialogues, such activities aim to foster a sense of an academic community and lay the groundwork for collaborative engagements.
The Thamarat al-Funun Colloquium seeks to:
Encourage interdisciplinary debates on the various aspects and periods of the Middle East, drawing on the expertise that exists across AUB and Lebanon more broadly.
Give students a space for professionalization, introducing them to ongoing cutting-edge research, as well as giving them the space to introduce their own work in progress.
Foster research collaborations amongst scholars on campus and between AUB and other campuses in Lebanon.
Cultivate a sense of community amongst scholars and students of the Middle East, broadly defined.
Below are all Thamarat al-Funun events that were conducted so far: