Schools
MCC to Host Global Issues Conference on Afghanistan
Given our nations ties to Afghanistan over the last ten years, the Global Issues Conference at Manchester Community College chose the nation as this year's topic for its long running program.
The Manchester Community College Global Issues Conference returns this year with a focus on the nation of Afghanistan. After a two year hiatus, the conference will feature speakers from around the country and tackle various political, economic, and social issues surrounding the nation whose destiny and ours have become so closely entwined.
The Global Issues Conference held its first event in 1986 and has featured a range of subjects either country of topic specific. The committee for this year's conference met over a year ago and decided on Afghanistan.
“We felt that Afghanistan was an area of much interest, because there are American troops there, many people want them to come back, American resources are being spent there” said Professor Fatma Antar, one of the organizers of the event, “So the conference will look at the history, culture & economy of the country, as well as the women's issues. What are the needs of women, how is progress being made, and what is the role of the United States.”
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The conference will feature three sessions with various guest speakers. The first is a panel discussion on the history and culture of Afghanistan with panelists Dr. Senil Nawid, a research affiliate with the University of Arizona, and Dr. Thomas Barfield a professor at Boston University. After presentations by the panelists, they will engage the audience in a question and answer session.
The second part of the conference will deal with economics and feature a lecture given by Dr. David Mansfield, a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Conducting field work in Afghanistan since 1997, the results of Mansfield's studies have been an importance resource in the development of drug and economic policies in Afghanistan.
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The final session will be a panel featuring two prominent speakers on the topic of women's issues. Rina Amiri, a senior advisor in the Pffice of the Special AfPak Representative in the United States Department of State, was born in Kabul and fled the country with her family in 1973. Dr. Jennifer Fluri, assistant professor at Dartmouth has an expertise in the Middle East and Afghanistan and the influence of geography on social movements.
The programming is open to the public free of charge. Space is limited so advanced registration is strongly encouraged.
Following the conference, a lunch of Afghan food will be catered by the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan for a cost of $20.
In keeping with the theme of the conference, the on-campus Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery will feature aphotographic exhibit, "Demystifying the Burqa." The display is meant to explore the art and culture of the traditional piece of clothing of Afghani women.
The conference will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm with the lunch to follow afterward. It will be conducted in the Manchester Community College, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium
The World Affairs Council, the MCC Cultural Programs Committee and the Manchester Community College Foundation serve as co-sponsors of the event.
More information about the event and links to registration can be found here.
