The Middle East

CHESTER, Vt. – The term “Middle East” is a changing geopolitical concept. Throughout recent history, this term referred to a political, cultural, and geographical region with no clear boundaries. Moreover, this concept serves to generate stereotypes and misunderstandings. This multimedia presentation by Mohamed Defaa provides an analytical framework to understand the histories, social identities, and cultures behind this complex concept of “Middle East.”

Mohamed Defaa is certified by the International Center for Educational and Cultural Consulting in Lyon, France. He earned an master’s in communication and expression at the University Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco, and a bachelor’s in French language and literature from the University Ibn Tofail in Kénitra, Morocco. He has received an Advanced Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Certificate from Southern New Hampshire University.

Defaa has served as an assistant professor of communication and cultural expression at the University Hassan the Second in Casablanca, Morocco, and a college instructor in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He is a French and Arabic teacher at Merrimack High School, and an Arabic instructor at Southern New Hampshire University.

This talk is free, open to the public, and accessible to those with disabilities. To request accommodations or for more information, contact the library at 802-875-2277 or info@whitinglibrary.org.

The Middle East is a Vermont Humanities Council program hosted by Whiting Library. (Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the NEH and VHC).