12th Annual Central & Southwest Asia Conference at the University of Montana
Location (All Events): University Center (UC) Theater, The University of Montana
Tuesday April 22, 2014
12:30pm-2:00pm
Central Southwest Asia Student Scholar Panel
From Boston to Baghdad: The West and the Middle East Through the Lens of Time
Presenters: James Papai. Chelsea Pierce, Brian Wemple, Ethan Ryan,
Eric Yeager
Chair-Moderator: Carson Blake (Central Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
2:30pm-4:00pm
Russo-Central Asian Relations Before and After Annexation
Russia and Central Asia: Northern-Southern Trade from the Seventeenth Century to the
Crimean War
Presenter: Kyeann Sayer (Masters of Arts: History, University of Montana)
Russia and Central Asia from the Great Game to the First World War
Presenter: Robert Greene
Chair-Moderator: Robert Greene (Department of History,
University of Montana)
7:00pm-9:00pm
The Uyghurs: An Identity Crisis In China’s Borderlands
Presenter: Henryk Szadziewski (Senior Researcher, Uyghur Human
Rights Project)
Chair-Moderator: Steven Levine (Senior Eurasian Affairs Researcher,
University of Montana)
Wednesday April 23, 2014
12:00pm-2:00pm
Uyghurs in China: Inside and Outside Perspectives
Presenter: Nijat Hushur (Masters of Fine Arts, Berlin University of the Arts)
Chair-Moderator: Ardi Kia (Central and Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
2:30pm-4:00pm
Ancient Central Asia and Its Impact on the Samanid Golden Age
Presenter: Ardi Kia (Central and Southwest Asia Center, University of Montana)
Chair-Moderator: Brian Wemple (Central Southwest Asia Center)
7:00pm-9:00pm
Palestine and the Arab Spring
Presenter: Shukri Abed (Al-Quds University, Jerusalem)
Chair-Moderator: Samir Bitar (Central and Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
Thursday April 24, 2014
11:00am-12:20pm
Past Israel-Palestine: Potential Syntheses of Reconciliation in the 21st Century
Presenters: Samir Bitar, Shukri Abed, Brendan Work, Brian Wemple
Chair-Moderator: Samir Bitar (Central and Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
12:25pm-1:30pm
Central Southwest Asia Student Scholar Panel
Central Asia Through the Ages: Ancient Traditions to Contemporary Issues
Presenters: Chris Hanson, Henry Collins, Larry Himes, Michael Covel,
Michael Capozzoli
Chair-Moderator: Ardi Kia (Central and Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
1:40pm-2:50pm
Syria: A Proxy War in a New Global Order
Presenter: Fadi Al-Batal (Bimand Inc. CEO)
Chair-Moderator: Samir Bitar (Central and Southwest Asia Center,
University of Montana)
3:00pm-5:00pm
China and the Middle East in the New Era
Middle East Affairs and the Construction of New Models of Great Power Relations
Between China and the United States
Presenter: Liu Zhongmin (Shanghai International Studies University)
China’s Mediation Diplomacy in the Middle East: From Non-Interference to Regional
Governance
Presenter: Sun Degang (Shanghai International Studies University)
Religious Challenges Towards China’s Military Activities in the Middle East
Presenter: Niu Song (Shanghai International Studies University)
Presenter: Sisu Pan (Central Southwest Asia Studies Center)
Chair-Moderator: Zhen Cao (Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures,
University of Montana)