The First World War and Its Aftermath in the Middle East

‘In light of this nascent regional awareness of the Middle East’s historical boundaries, the inaugural Gingko Conference’s decision to focus on the aftermath of the First World War is more pertinent than ever.’

– Eugene Rogan, Associate Professor of the Modern History of the Middle East, University of Oxford

‘The Gingko Library Conference will throw light on how the Middle East and its problems came to be as they are: this is a highly important event and very appropriate in this centenary year marking the beginning of the First World War.’

– Anthony Grayling, Master of the New College of the Humanities

‘The institutions that concentrate on culture hold the most hope for looking beyond the immediate struggles for land and power. This is why the Gingko Library is important for the service it does bringing out the common elements in the literature, arts, and productions of the peoples of the Middle East. The conference also reminds us about what is common between peoples and civilizations, and we need it to never stop looking for what draws us together, not only for what divides us.’

– Leila Fawaz, Issam M. Fares Professor of Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Tufts University

‘A major role of literature is to show us that we can differ in religion, skin colour or culture but are still all basically human beings with the same feelings, the same pain and the same hopes. That is why the conference is so important, because we should get to know each other more and more in order to make the this world a better place.’

– Alaa Al Aswany, bestselling author of The Yacoubian Building

‘[…] This would make an excellent resource for students and scholars of the Middle East who are interested in history from the perspective of people in the Middle East themselves, rather than an imperial history.’

– Review of Middle East Studies