In this lecture, Dr Isabelle Werenfels will use Sufi-state relations as a prism thorough which to analyse important mechanisms and dynamics that have (in the past) made the Algerian system so resilient to change. At the same time, she will question how important contradictions and informal rules inherent to the Algerian system have affected dynamics in the Sufi scene. Do these dynamics re-enforce the political status quo? Or are they altering, undermining, or evading elite strategies? In other words: Is the tail wagging the dog?
Event Details
Speaker: Dr Isabelle Werenfels, German Institute for International and Security Affairs
Chair: Dr John King, Society for Algerian Studies
Date: Wednesday 11 June 2014
Time: 18.30-20.00
Location: Room LG.04, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, LSE
Attendance: This event is free and open to all on a first come first served basis. Our events are very well attended, please make sure to arrive early. We cannot guarantee entry
Speaker
Dr Isabelle Werenfels is the head of the Middle East and Africa research division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. She is also the Vice-chairwoman of the Foundation Board of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Between 2006-2012 she held adjunct lectureships at the University of Hamburg and Freie Universität Berlin. In 1999, Dr Werenfels served as the Head of the Swiss Delegation and of the Research, Analysis and Information Division of the Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron (TIPH). From 1993-1998 she was a reporter and editor with a special focus on the Middle East at the Swiss Broadcasting Company’s Radio (DRS). Her current focus areas are Sufi orders as political actors in the Maghreb and authoritarian resilience in the Maghreb.