BABITME conference and cultural events - York, 16-18 June 2016

"Borders and Beyond" in the Middle East (BABITME) since 1914
Conference:  Friday-Saturday 17-18 June 2016;   Drama event on Thursday 16th) 

See here for full details and reduced-price tickets (£20), as well as

An Evening of Drama from the Middle East (£5)
A Middle Eastern Dinner/Concert with Merit Ariane (£14).
as well as information about exhibitions associated with the conference.
Conference delegate tickets only are here.

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Associated 'BABITME+' events took place in York on April 26th.
Thanks to generous support from the Centre for Hidden Histories, these were free.

Here is the official Call for Papers (CfP): for other information see links above

BABITME Middle East Conference (York, 17-18 June 2016); CfP Joanna Vernov26

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NB: Some details below are now rather out of date, but dates etc. remain accurate.

"Borders and Beyond" in the Middle East (BABITME):  

The 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement -  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.  

Friday-Saturday 17-18 June 2016;

Cultural and other events on Thursday 16th and Sunday 19th June.

Location: York St John University, York, England. 

(2 hours from London: Advance train fare less than £15)

This topical, international, interdisciplinary conference is in the historic centre of York. It is also supported by the Post-War Reconstruction Unit at the University of York.

Apart from international big-name speakers, we expect displays, performances and local contributions exploring York's and Yorkshire's links with the Middle East - yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thus we shall be "breaking the barriers" between local history, family history, and world history. Papers already offered include "Archaeological perspectives", the Hejaz railway, the view from the other side (Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey etc.), maps and counter-maps, the impact upon theatre and film, as well as items on Gertrude Bell, Mark Sykes of Sledmere, T.E. Lawrence, Toynbee etc., all of whom have local links.

We welcome further suggestions and offerings!

Details: For the time being, please contact John Bibby, one of the co-organisers,

at jb43@york.ac.uk    (Please put "BABITME" in the subject-line of your email.)

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This temporary, unofficial site is continually changing; nothing should be taken as gospel.   

It has the following convenient alias  - please tell your friends!:  www.tinyurl.com/BABITME

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Other conferences (not associated with the above)

• DAVO 2015 (Bochum): 2015sep24-26
• Cultural Exchange in Times of Global Conflict: Colonials, Neutrals and Belligerents during the First World War. Colonialism, War & Photography. (London): 2015sep17
• BRAIS2016, 2016apr11-12

Ideas for Corbyn: (1) "Ministry of Ideas" (2) An all-contenders meeting

A cause, not just a party.

Delighted that Corbyn is slowly transforming the Labour Party from a mere election-losing-machine into a CAUSE and a MOVEMENT.  What the SNP did for Scotland, Corbyn is doing for the entire UK.

Of course the cause is far bigger than one person.  It doesn't matter if Corbyn never gets to be Prime Minister. The important thing is that the DISCOURSE will have changed. We have already seen Burnham moving leftwards. Cooper will follow!  (Kendall is off-stage right. It's a pity that the two female candidates are so right-wing and so scheming. Why does Kendall keep winking at the camera? Corbyn has more sex appeal I hear, and I haven't seen him wink once!)

Ideas for Corbyn (1): a "Ministry of Ideas"

Corbyn's 'Ministry if Ideas' should be open for business from Day 1. It's aim is to tap into the inventive talent of everybody in the country. If you see a problem and you have an idea of how to fix it, then tell the MinOfIdeas. And keep chasing them till they tell you what can be done with it. Some ideas will work; Others will not. But if people are REALLY listened to, everyone will start thinking inventively and positively.

Ideas for Corbyn (2): an all-contenders meeting NOW!

The day after being elected (or maybe before), Corbyn should invite Burnham, Cooper and Kendall to a meeting to discuss the future of the Party. Maybe Umuna, Millibubble(s) and others should be invited too. This would strengthen Corbyn's position in the party, although it will not rectify it completely. There is a big mismatch now between the PLP and the party.

Thoughts on teaching

http://www.historiansonteaching.tv/learning-lecture-thoughts-memories/

Lots of excellent points here, mainly relating to ALL subjects, not just history (even if maybe historians like lecturing more than others, which does NOT mean they do it better than others).

I would add the following:
* get an actor to talk to your staff about delivery, posture, variation, etc., etc..
* think about the "3-part lesson" i.e. the lecture is just a chunk, not the whole thing
* remember to change pace; ask questions; give time for small-group discussion
* send them away with something they have learned, something to think about (BIG questions!), and a 'small' question to investigate
* use teamwork i.e. if everybody has slightly different 'small' question, you can actually get a lot of research done by pooling them e.g. look at the daily newspaper for {{a different date for meach student}}; then pool them in small groups; then pool the small group results. This is known as team-research! Students learn far more from each other than they ever will from you!

Link for original text of Sykes-Picot Agreement

http://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023517321.0x000004