With generous support from the EU, as part of our project "Enhancing Education, Developing Community, and Promoting Visibility to Effect Gender Equity in Iraq and the MENA Region, " CGDS has been working to found a network of academics who are interested in gender studies. Most teachers and scholars who produce work on gender are quite isolated one from the other, especially in MENA. We have enthusiastic interest already from scholars in Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut, various cities in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, Doha, and Shar-ja. We are now meeting with academics from Kurdistan who have expressed interest in learning more about the network. We hope that our network meetings will take place face-to-face, as was originally conceived. We also hope to find funding for this gathering so that we can meet in-person once the pandemic subsides. Meanwhile, we will gather virtually to determine interests and needs. It has been very exciting to speak with feminist academics about their wide ranges of interests and areas of expertise.
Image description: An aerial night view of Earth, focusing on North Africa and the Middle East. The Mediterranean and Nile are the main bodies of water visible.