Events

Professor Trinidad Rico, Professor and Director of Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies at Rutgers University, will visit GU-Q as the inaugural guest speaker of the new Arts, Heritage, and Cultural Diplomacy minor. On Wednesday, October 7, she will deliver a public lunchtime lecture titled “Heritage Internationalism and Nation-Building in Qatar,” drawing on her recent book The Heritage State: Religion and Preservation in Contemporary Qatar. The talk will examine how Qatar has developed locally grounded heritage traditions while simultaneously participating in international heritage preservation and safeguarding initiatives, with particular attention to heritage expertise, nation-building, cultural authority, and global heritage agendas. Professor Rico will also lead a guest teaching session in Art, Heritage, and Identity, one of the minor’s core courses.

H.E. Dr. Majed Al-Ansari will join Dr. Gerd Nonneman for a moderated discussion on the evolving security landscape of the Gulf region. This conversation comes at a critical juncture: the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States has underscored the fragility of the region’s security architecture and prompted calls for tighter Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) coordination. This event offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into current regional dynamics and their implications.

It is no easy task to tell the Syrian tale, one that is written—and still being written—in the midst of both darkness and light. Yet, Syrian literature and art have taken up this task: not only to record events threatened by historical erasure, but to transform a time stained with blood into an anthem of resistance.