Notes on the International Conference Subalterns and the Middle East: Challenges, Histories, Historiographies, Department Italian institute of Oriental Studies (ISO), Sapienza University of Rome, September 29, 2023

The explosion of the first wave of Arab Uprisings re-ignited academic interest in the long-neglected history of subaltern social groups in the MENA. In September 2023, the ISO Department of Sapienza University of Rome convened an international conference on “Subalterns and the Middle East: Challenges, Histories, Historiographies” that brought together established and emerging scholars distinguishing themselves for the originality of their empirical research or theoretical-methodological approaches to subaltern studies in the MENA region, that is to the study of lower classes, discriminated and non-hegemonic social groups and marginalities. This note summarizes the contents and findings of the conference and stresses the main elements of novelty that emerged from the discussion and research presented there.