The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and, Rubaiyat Qatar, Qatar first art quadrennial, announced the forthcoming international symposium, "Water Ways: Epistemologies and Aesthetics," from February 18 to 20, 2024.
The event aims to critically reexamine and introduce novel interpretations surrounding the multifaceted subject of water, which has been a focal point of diverse ideological, political, economic, geographical, and cultural discourses throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Moreover, water's representation in artistic, literary, cinematic, and sonic domains underscores its dual role as both a tangible material and a symbolic presence, thereby enriching the thematic breadth of the symposium.
Spanning three days, the symposium is structured into two keynote lectures and ten meticulously curated sessions, each designed to illuminate various aspects of water through an interdisciplinary lens. Day one initiates with the first keynote lecture by the historian Fahad Bishara, titled “The Sailing Scribe: Mansur Al-Khariji and the Oceanic Worlds of the Gulf”. It then presents the first session exploring the philosophical underpinnings of water, transitioning into an examination of water's portrayal in literature, and culminating in a session dedicated to water's cinematic representations. The subsequent day starts with the second keynote lecture by the historian Laleh Khalili, titled “Living and Drowning on the Shores of Climate Change”. It then delves into the historical narratives of water, the intricate politics surrounding it, and its sociological impacts. The final day's sessions will highlight the specific contexts of water in Palestine, the Gulf, and in art, before concluding with a comprehensive discussion and the formulation of closing insights.
This symposium will convene approximately 35 distinguished researchers and artists from a broad spectrum of Arab and international backgrounds, all contributing their unique perspectives and scholarly insights. Their collective endeavors aim to scrutinize the subject of water from a plethora of disciplinary angles, including but not limited to political science, economics, geography, sociology, anthropology, comparative literature, history, philosophy, cultural studies, and the creative arts. Through this collaborative and cross-disciplinary platform, "Water Ways: Epistemologies and Aesthetics" aspires to not only foster a deeper understanding of water's pivotal role in daily lives but also to propel forward the discourse surrounding water studies and artistic engagements, thereby enriching and expanding the interconnections between epistemic and aesthetic considerations of water in contemporary times and beyond.
