Year of Morocco Conference
Gender, Identity and Youth Empowerment in Morocco
Dates: March 15 - 16, 2019
Location: KSU Center, Room 400
As part of KSU’s award-winning Annual Country Study Program, the goal of this international conference is to examine ever-changing Moroccan identities with a special focus on the cultural, economic, political and social agency of young women and men. The conference features over 30 presentations from leading scholars, policy-makers, and community leaders from six different countries.
Registration
Registration costs $150 and will include:
• All plenary sessions, concurrent sessions and presentations
• All refreshment breaks and meals throughout the conference. These include:
• Lunch (Friday March 15, Saturday March 16)
• Dinner (Saturday March 16)
• Concert by Innov Gnawa: Saturday, March 16, 8:00 PM, Bailey Performance Hall
Early registration is due by March 8, 2019. After March 8, 2019, the registration fee will increase to $200.
*Students are welcome to attend individual sessions for free. However, students wishing to attend the entire conference (w/meals and concert) must pay the registration fee.
Register HereHotel Information:
We have reserved rooms at the Residence Inn in Kennesaw, Ga for conference attendees. To take advantage of the special group rate, please book your room by February 15, 2019 to get this rate. See link below.
Reservation Details:
- This rate will apply to hotel reservations for any dates/nights between March 11, 2019 and March 18, 2019.
- Last day to book at special group rate: 2/15/19
- Special group rate: 119 USD per night
If you experience any difficulties registering, please contact:
Cailin A. Riddell
General Manager
T: 770.218.1018 | F: 770.218.2107
cailin.a.riddell@marriott.com
Conference Schedule
Day 1 - March 15, 2019
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TimeLocationDescription
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8:15 am
Residence Inn
Shuttle Bus to KSU Center
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8:30 - 9:00 am
KSU Center Atrium
Conference Registration
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9:00 – 9:30 am
KSU Center Room 400
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Lance Askildson, Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief International Officer, Kennesaw State University
Dr. Abdelkader Gonegai, Dean, School of Letters and Humanities, Ben Msik Campus, Hassan II University Casablanca
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9:30 – 10:30 am
KSU Center Room 400
Opening Keynote:
Gender, Youth, Media, Globalization and Identity in Morocco
Dr. Loubna Skalli Hanna, University of California, Washington Center Introduction by Dr. Debarati Sen, Kennesaw State University
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10:30 – 11:30 am
KSU Center Room 400
Session I: Education and Agency in Morocco
The Challenge of Urban-Rural Accessibility to Education across Morocco
Asmaa Benbaba, Ph.D. Candidate, Auburn University
The Civic Agency of Moroccan Educators: Teaching for Critically Engaged Denizenship through Public Speaking Competitions
Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright, Missouri State University
Transforming Mindsets through Capacity Building for a More Sustainable World, Estrella Merlos, Associate Director of the CIFAL Global Network at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Session Chair: Dr. Amanda Richey, Kennesaw State University
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11:30 - 1:00 pm
KSU Center
Buffet Lunch
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1:00 – 2:00 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session II: Language and Language Use in Morocco
The Linguistic Evolution in Morocco after February 20th Movement
Dr. Mariya Chakir, Valdosta State University
Moroccan Arabic Segmental Variation
Dr. Samira Rguibi, Hassan II University Casablanca
The Language Debate and the Future of Education in Morocco
Dr. Taoufik Jaafari, Hassan II University CasablancaSession Chair: Dr. Amanda Richey, Kennesaw State University
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2:00 - 2:15 pm
KSU Center
Break and Poster Session
As part of a YoM College Spotlight Award, KSU French faculty consisting of Mr. Ouali Ferrani, Ms. Marni Manning, Ms. Sita Swami, and Dr. Viakinnou- Brinson presented various aspects of Moroccan culture in their classes and led their students to conduct their own research on Morocco. To demonstrate their understanding of Moroccan culture, their students wrote and illustrated children’s books in French that integrated knowledge of Moroccan culture in their stories. 90 French students participated in the project. Their books are showcased in this poster session, on the online KSU Global Library, and will also be used to conduct reading hours and promote literacy in selected schools abroad.
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2:15 – 3:30 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session III: Activism and the Media
The Role of the Media and Youth in the Moroccan Arab Spring
Dr. Khalid Lahlou, Hassan II University Casablanca
Storytellers in the “Youth Bulge”: Economic Precarity of Youth Performers in Marrakech
Erin Gould, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Riverside
Mobility and the Aesthetics of Violence in Leila Marrakshi’s Film Rock the Casbah
Dr. Touria Khannous, Louisiana State University
Session Chair: Dr. Maia Hallward, Kennesaw State University
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3:30 – 4:30 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session IV: Morocco on the Move
Morocco on the Move: Myth or Reality
Dr. Zakaria Fatih, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The Politics of Extraction in Moroccan Heritage Pop
Gwyneth Talley, Ph.D. Candidate, UCLA
Session Chair: Dr. Gail Scott, Kennesaw State University
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4:30 pm
Shuttle Bus to Residence Inn – Dinner on Own
Day 2 - March 16, 2019
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TimeLocationDiscription
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9:15 am
9:15 AM
Shuttle Bus Departs
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9:30 – 10:00 am
KSU Center Atrium
Conference Registration
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10:00 –11:00 am
KSU Center Room 400
Session V: Opening Panel on the Arts
Moroccan Artistic Presence at the Centre Pompidou CollectionsMs. Sirine Abdelhedi, Paris 8 University
Human Rights in Morocco: Incorporating Comics into the Classroom
Dr. Jennifer Howell, Illinois State University
Colonialism, Immigration, Moroccan Art-Culture-Identity
Dr. Samia Touati, Arab Heritage Learning, Raleigh, NC
Session Chair: Dr. Sandra Bird, Kennesaw State University
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11:00 –12:30 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session VI: Views on Moroccan Women’s Leadership
Moroccan Women from Tradition to Modernity in Fictional Accounts
Dr. Mohamed Benzidan, Hassan II University Casablanca
Comparing Feminist Views from the Global North and South: The Gap between Discourse and Political Practice
Dr. Abdelkader Sabil, Hassan II University Casablanca
Two Moroccan Women Leaders
Dr. Said Zaidoune, Hassan II University Casablanca
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Successful Women in Morocco
Dr. Maia Hallward, Kennesaw State University
Session Chair: Dr. Nina Morgan, Kennesaw State University -
12:30-2:00 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Buffet Lunch
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2:00 - 3:00 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session VII: Transcultural Identities
What (is) Moroccan Identity? A Cultural Analysis
Dr. Yahya Laayouni, Bloomsburg University
Return to the Judeo-Islamic Cultural Concept: Jewish Racial Identity and Whiteness in the Histories of and relations between Morocco and Israel
Dr. Jesse Benjamin, Kennesaw State University
A Space to Express Yourself: Akaliyat Magazine and the Creation of Queer Community in Morocco
Benjamin Ale-Ebrahim, Ph.D. Candidate, Indiana University
Session Chair: Dr. Nina Morgan, Kennesaw State University
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3:00 – 3:15 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Break and Poster Session
Display of KSU French students children’s books.
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3:15 – 4:15 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session VIII: Development and Activism
What is the State in Morocco Doing for the Youth? Unpacking Neoliberal Discourse on Education, Employment, and Political Participation
Nada Berrada, Ph.D. Candidate, Virginia Tech
Moroccan Female Artists: One thousand and One paintings
Samir El Azhar, Hassan II University Casablanca (Presented by Samira Rguibi)
Modes of Feminine Resistance and Testimony in the Wake of the Mudawana reform and the Arab Uprisings
Naima Hachad, American University (Presented by Zakaria Fatih)
Session Chair: Dr. Christie Emerson, Kennesaw State University
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4:15 – 5:30 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Session IX: Undergraduate Student Perspectives
Multiple Literacies Student Competition Award Winners
Investigating the Effects of Morocco’s Multi-lingual Society on Cultural Literacy in North Africa, Nic Franco-Roldan
Investigating the Generation Gap in Attitudes toward Language Use in Morocco, Jennifer Cox, Jooeun Kim, and Lindsey Dietz
Colonialism’s Impact on Identities, KSU Model African Union Team members: Damie Omole, Vanessa Godinez, and Lisa Smith
Session Chair: Dr. Dan Paracka, Kennesaw State University
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5:30 – 7:15 pm
KSU Center Room 400
Dinner Reception
Remarks from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco
Larbi R’Miki, Head of Public Diplomacy
Introduction by Dr. Christie Emerson, Kennesaw State University
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7:15 pm
Shuttle Bus Departs for Zuckerman Museum
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7:30 – 8:00 pm
Zuckerman Museum
Hicham Berrada Exhibit and Gallery Talk
Joe Thomas, Zuckerman Museum
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8:00 – 9:30 pm
Bailey
Performance HallInnov Gnawa Performance
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9:30 pm
Shuttle Bus Departs for Residence Inn