Centre for Lebanese Studies

Symposium: Equitable collaborations for global justice in and through education
Monday 15 June 2026, 12:00-18:00 BST in person and online
Full agenda here:
https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/real/events/AGENDA_Symposium_15_June.pdf

Register here to join in Cambridge, Cape Town or online:
https://EquitableCollaborations.eventbrite.co.uk/

Join the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa, for a symposium exploring equity, pedagogy and innovation in times of global crises.

Panel discussions:
Equitable research collaborations and partnerships
Education, decolonisation and antiracism
Indigenous knowledge and climate justice in and through education

Keynotes speakers include:
Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, University of Cambridge
Professor Robert Balfour, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, University of the Western Cape
Professor Ahmed Kamal Junina, Assistant Professor and Head of English Department, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza

Other speakers include:
Professor Caroline Trotter, Director Cambridge-Africa
Professor Premesh Lalu, University of the Western Cape (UWC)
Professor Yusuf Sayed, REAL Centre, University of Cambridge
Professor Azeem Badroodien, University of Cape Town
Professor Melanie Luckay, Department of Educational Studies, UWC
Dr Alvin Riffel, Department of Educational Studies, UWC
Professor Maha Shuayb, Director, Centre for Lebanese Studies
Professor Thasmai Dhurumraj, Faculty of Education, UWC
Professor Pauline Rose, Director, REAL Centre

Equitable collaborations for global justice in and through education Symposium focusing on global solidarity across universities as spaces for nurturing social conscience and tackling injustice and oppression.

Join us for a one-day conference taking place during Refugee Week at Homerton College, University of Cambridge:

Politics of Displacement: Refugee Rights, Education and Global Orders

This conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to critically examine the relationship between political discourse, refugee policy, and what it means for the educational realities of displaced communities around the world.

- How are anti-migrant and anti-refugee discourses in the UK, Europe, and North America shaping global humanitarian responses and narrowing the space for rights-based approaches?
- Who defines the refugee education agenda and whose interests does it serve?
Drawing on empirical research from Sudan, Tigray, Palestine, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Myanmar, the conference will interrogate the gap between policy commitments and lived realities, and advance more equitable, justice-oriented approaches to refugee education.

The event is hybrid!

Join us in person in Homerton College in Cambridge or online.
Thursday 18 June 2026 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM BST
Register via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/politics-of-displacement-refugee-rights-education-and-global-orders-tickets-1987400332895

Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies in collaboration with the REAL Centre, Homerton College, Cambridge , and the Centre for Southwest Asia and North Africa at the University of Cambridge .

هل أنت طالب/ة في المرحلة الثانوية (الترمينال)؟

نريد سماع صوتك

في ظل العدوان الإسرائيلي والأزمة الاقتصادية والاجتماعية المستمرة، نطلق هذا الاستبيان لمعرفة التحديات التي تواجه الطلاب في التحضير للامتحانات الرسمية.
المشاركة لا تستغرق أكثر من ٤ دقائق
كل المعلومات ستُعامل بسرية تامة
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شاركنا رأيك وساعدنا في تسليط الضوء على واقع الطلاب في لبنان.

إستمارة الطلاب: تحديات إجراء الإمتحانات الرسمية في ظل العدوان الاسرائيلي والأزمات المتراكمة (٢٠٢٦) Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Deadline extended: 10 May

The Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS), in partnership with the Centre for Southwest Asian and North African Studies (CSWANA) at the Faculty of History and Homerton College, University of Cambridge, is organising a PhD workshop in Cambridge for doctoral students based in Lebanon and the UK.

This workshop is part of the organisers’ long-term commitment to supporting early-career scholars by strengthening their research, fostering critical scholarship, and nurturing a collaborative community grounded in ethics of care. It offers participants the opportunity to present key aspects of their doctoral research and receive constructive, interdisciplinary feedback.

The workshop is open to PhD candidates at any stage of their studies who are based in the UK or Lebanon and whose research focuses on the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Applicants should be engaged in social science, humanities, or related disciplines, including but not limited to forced migration studies, refugee education, sociology, history, political science, anthropology, climate justice, and disability studies.

Eligibility

The workshop is open to PhD students in the social sciences from Lebanon and UK, at any stage of their doctoral studies.

Funding

Meals, travel, local transportation, and accommodation are fully covered upon eligibility.

Three scholarships for scholars from Lebanon are available.

Application Process

To apply, please send the following to [email protected]:

Your CV

A 300-word abstract of your research

A 300-word statement explaining why you would like to participate in this retreat (Please include your area of research, name of your university, and indicate whether you require accommodation in Cambridge).


The deadline to apply is May 10, 2026

More info: https://lebanesestudies.com/events/two-day-phd-retreat-in-cambridge/

Join us for the annual event to mark refugee week on 18 June 2026
More information will follow soon.

Register now!
Learning Beyond Systems: Reimagining Education Pathways for Displaced Communities

· Date: 27 April 2026 (Registration Deadline: 22 April 2026):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScW32zVkgAafUHyUu-7Cf09Lifb9b5E9eObwTZaR1U_IihCSQ/viewform

· Time: 16:00 – 18:00 (followed by a networking reception)
· Format: Hybrid (in-person and online participation available)
· Location: The Arab British Centre, 1 Gough Square, London EC4A 3DE, United Kingdom

Held on the sidelines of the conference on “The Role of Philanthropy in Education” organised by the Institute for Education and Global Futures.

Over the past decade, education responses to forced displacement have largely focused on integrating refugee learners into host country systems. While this approach has expanded access, it has not consistently translated into sustained participation, quality learning, or progression—particularly beyond primary education.

This session presents new research commissioned by the Asfari Foundation and conducted by Edvise ME, which examines the limitations of current models and introduces the Refugee Education Pathway Framework, alongside a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework. Together, these propose more flexible, inclusive, and context-responsive education pathways that allow learners to move across formal, non-formal, and alternative systems.

Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policy actors, the discussion will explore how lessons from the Syrian refugee response can inform more adaptive and participatory education models globally, particularly in contexts of protracted displacement.

*Please note that in-person participation is limited and registrations will close once full capacity is reached. Participants will be informed in advance of their attendance status. Those unable to attend in person will be invited to join the session online.
A detailed participant package, including the agenda, meeting link, and logistical note, will be shared with all registered participants ahead of the event.

Co-Organized by
· The Asfari Foundation
· Center for Lebanese Studies
· المركز السوري لبحوث السياسات Syrian Center for Policy Research SCPR

لأساتذة المدارس الرسميّة في لبنان:

يدعوكم مركز الدراسات اللبنانية للمشاركة في هذا الاستبيان حول واقع التعليم خلال الحرب.

في ظلّ التحدّيات المتزايدة التي يواجهها الأساتذة على المستويين التربوي والنفسي، يهدف هذا الاستبيان إلى فهم تجاربهم، ظروف عملهم، واحتياجاتهم خلال هذه المرحلة.

مساهمتكم تساعد في إيصال صوتكم، وتدعم تطوير استجابات تعليمية أكثر ملاءمة وعدالة.

الاستبيان لن يستغرق أكثر من 5 دقائق.

للمشاركة، اضغط هنا

استبيان حول الأوضاع النفسيّة والتربويّة لأساتذة التعليم الرسمي في ظلّ الحرب المستمرّة في لبنان Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

The Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS), in partnership with the Centre for Southwest Asian and North African Studies (CSWANA) at the Faculty of History and Homerton College, University of Cambridge, is organising a PhD workshop in Cambridge for doctoral students based in Lebanon and the UK.

This workshop is part of the organisers’ long-term commitment to supporting early-career scholars by strengthening their research, fostering critical scholarship, and nurturing a collaborative community grounded in ethics of care. It offers participants the opportunity to present key aspects of their doctoral research and receive constructive, interdisciplinary feedback.

The workshop is open to PhD candidates at any stage of their studies who are based in the UK or Lebanon and whose research focuses on the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Applicants should be engaged in social science, humanities, or related disciplines, including but not limited to forced migration studies, refugee education, sociology, history, political science, anthropology, climate justice, and disability studies.

Eligibility

The workshop is open to PhD students in the social sciences from Lebanon and UK, at any stage of their doctoral studies.

Funding

Meals, travel, local transportation, and accommodation are fully covered upon eligibility.

Three scholarships for scholars from Lebanon are available.

Application Process

To apply, please send the following to [email protected]:

Your CV

A 300-word abstract of your research

A 300-word statement explaining why you would like to participate in this retreat (Please include your area of research, name of your university, and indicate whether you require accommodation in Cambridge).


The deadline to apply is May 2, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by May 11, 2026.

More info: https://lebanesestudies.com/events/two-day-phd-retreat-in-cambridge/

ضعوا العدالة في صميم التخطيط للأزمات خلال الحرب وبعدها

إن تطوير استجابة وطنية شاملة ومنسّقة جيدًا، مع توفير موارد بشرية ومالية كافية، أمر أساسي لمنع فقدان التعلّم وحماية المستقبل التعليمي طويل الأمد للأطفال.

Put Equity at the Centre of Crisis Planning During and Post-War

Developing an inclusive, well-coordinated national response with sufficient human and financial resources is essential to prevent learning loss and protect children’s long-term educational futures.