Community College to host humanities meet

The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) will hold the fourth humanities conference on March 29 and 30 under the theme ‘A Nation in Transition’. Delegates from over 14 countries are expected to participate in the event to be held at City Center Rotana with several keynote presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics.The details of the conference were announced at a press conference yesterday at the headquarters of the college. Dr Ibrahim al-Naimi, CCQ president, Dr Abdallah Hazaimeh, CCQ dean, Dr Linda Lebile, chair of Humanities, Social Sciences Department, CCQ were present at the event.According to the officials, the purpose of this year’s conference is to explore and examine the various challenges and successes of transition that people and nations have encountered and continue to face through several subjects such as education, gender roles, and tradition, religion, social media, government, globalisation, and economics. Dr al-Naimi said: “Transition is something that everyone has experienced at some point in their lifetime whether small or big. That transition might have been an impetus to open the doors to many positive opportunities for others. The theme of the conference can be interpreted as Qatar in transition or Arab World in transition or the Community College itself in transition.”“The conference has become more international with more participation from different countries. It has become bigger. It will have several keynote speakers who will dwell into the aspects of change in various areas and how they are all affecting people. This is a great opportunity to learn how transition impacts human lives,” added the official.“This year’s conference will feature high-level keynote speakers from around the world, bringing together approximately forty scholars to explore the various challenges and successes of transition that people and nations have encountered. We have many topics for discussion including education, gender roles, tradition, social media,  government and many more,” said Dr Hazaimeh.“The conference is more inclusive with participation of students for the first time.  Moreover, faculty from every department is taking part in the presentations. Students are participating for the first time. We have three keynote speakers and the first day, we will begin with US ambassador Dana Shell Smith speaking on ‘How Qatar’s 2030 vision will affect Transition in Qatar and beyond’,” said Dr Lebile.The other two keynote speakers are Dr Adrian Holliday, Canterbury Christ Church UK, who will speak on ‘Cultural Change and Cultural Resilience’ and Dr Hassan al-Derham, president Qatar University who will speak on the second day on “Qatar as a nation in transition’.