"All You Wanted to Know About ISIS and Did Not Know You Should Ask" Town Hall Event

Thursday, October 16, 2014 6:00 PM EDT
Merten Hall, Room 1201

“Everyone has something to say about the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). But only now. When ISIS or its predecessor was taking over towns in Syria last year, and when it grew out of Iraq’s chaos and calamity after the US invasion of 2003, it was just another news item. But when more and more interests were threatened, when the identity of the victims began to change, and when ISIS rolled into cities in Iraq, it became a problem. Everyone (almost literally) started writing about the problem of ISIS. Incessantly! And the more mainstream media accounts one reads, the less one knows.

The challenge of writing or speaking about ISIS is multi-faceted, but rests mainly in the fact that we simply do not have enough corroborated information/knowledge about all aspects of the phenomenon, including how they link up together and to other countries. This state of knowledge on ISIS makes virtually any piece of writing sound somewhat interesting and credible. The outcome, in terms of writings on ISIS, where plausibility becomes synonymous with knowledge production, is important to observe and decipher.” -- Excerpt from the Introduction to Jadaliyya's "ISIS in the News: Extensive Media Roundup"

Join us for this Town Hall Event with a lineup of distinguished Mason faculty including:

Maria Dakake Chair, Department of Religious Studies

Jack Goldstone Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. Professor of Public Policy, and Director, Center for Global Policy

Bassam Haddad Director, Middle East Studies Program

Peter Mandaville Director, Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies

Sponsored by Global Programs, Middle East Studies, Political Science, Center for Global Islamic Studies, and Center for Global Policy.