Laith
Oud Addict
Posts: 38
Registered: 2-25-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: getting better
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Any groups that might support student to study in middle east?
Hey everyone, sorry this isn't oud related, but a good friend of mine is wanting to study literature in the middle east and needs funding. He's a
wonderful musician and writer and is very interested in the middle east. Here is an email he sent me about his plan:
"i have been given a vision to travel for, well...a number of reasons. first is to seek my ancestry, which all i know of it, the urmy legacy, is
that we are persian in ancestry, and it has always been the family mystery. second, to absorb the people and the landscape and bring poems and songs
back to our country about the true nature of their situation and feelings, since most people in this country have no clue what it is really like
there, let alone how the people feel, and what the history of the people is...i have spoken with a woman that i've recently met who is an
iraqi-american that wrote a one woman play, her name is heather raffo, and she has been touring the country and world with her play about women in
iraq. what i want to do is travel to damascus, syria and, stay with people, visit with iraqi refugees, and see the countyside, then travel to iran and
do the same. heather has been there three times in the last 10 months, and assured me that syria and iran would be completely safe for me to go on
this journey. a couple of professors here at school, one who has lived in syria and lebanon for years have told me the same. so, what i need to do is
find funding for the trip. i know that there are many grants and fellowships for artists and writers to do things like this, but do you or your
parents know of any persian/arab organizations that have grants for american artists of middle eastern decent who wish to create works that bring
awareness about the culture and people? i am currently putting together a presentation on the journey and will have endorsements from well established
writers, but you are the only person i really really KNOW that has family from the region. the trip would only last a couple of months, and then i
would return home and begin to compile the book. i am exceedingly passionate about this vision, and any insight, advice or direction anyone you might
know could give me would be invaluable. "
Any help would be greatly appreciated. My email is jlkoud@yahoo.com As we are all artists I figured we are all connected by this and can
appreciate his ideas. Plus I'll make sure he takes some oud lessons while he's over there  Thank you all so much for your time. ----Laith
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dubai244
Oud Junkie
Posts: 490
Registered: 3-8-2004
Location: Dubai, UAE
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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No Comment !
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eliot
Oud Junkie
Posts: 252
Registered: 1-5-2005
Location: The Gorges
Member Is Offline
Mood: Aksak
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First of all, we don't know much about your friend, his educational background, current major (I think he's at a school?), and such, which is
important. The way you portray his ambitions, he seems like a naive but probably well meaning individual who has no clue about what a feasible
research project might entail. This may not be the case at all, but I just wanted to let you know that my response is based on the little I
have to go on.
Most grants sponsor scholars (young and old) rather than other kinds of individuals for a reason: in school we learn techniques for approaching
projects such as these, become familiar with the past research, and are more likely to be able to produce something productive and constructive
following the months of travel. That needs to clearly be his goal for him to be a candidate for the majority of funding, in other words. Think of it
this way: a granting agency is liable for the work done in their name. They can be held financially liable if something goes wrong. They're going to
want to cover their asses...
There are considerable ethical considerations when research (even if it's just "hanging out" and "staying with" people) includes individuals such as
Iraqi refugees. If his professors are telling him that it's perfectly reasonable to be able to "hang out" with Iraqi refugees and write a book about
it then those professors know nothing about the prospect of conducting research in Iraq/Syria, and/or have missed decades worth of development of
research review boards, human subjects protections, etc. I say this since your friend may not have considered the kinds of risk he would put himself,
but more importantly his informants, in.
Every researcher I know who has done sensitive-topic research in the Middle East in the past 10 years has experienced death threats and physical risks
to their own lives. Several personal friends of mine have been kicked out of various Middle Eastern countries (including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and
Iran) and they are forever barred from ever entering those countries again. It's not a casual matter. If you conduct research without a research visa,
you are probably breaking numerous local laws. With a research visa, you are "on the map" and subject to intense scrutiny, from locals and American
state dept/other intelligence workers, who will definitely wonder what you are doing. It's a Catch-22.
Last point: your friend wouldn't be eligible for any form of US Govt. funding (the largest source of grants, even by seemingly private agencies),
since Iran doesn't have a functional US embassy, and Iraq is in a state of war. There may be other sources (I don't know), assuming there was
a coherent project.
Others will probably chime in with more encouraging support - I'm doing my duty to provide the "reality dose." If I've underestimated the preparedness
of your friend, apologies, but I can only go on what information you provided us.
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dandana
Oud Addict
Posts: 47
Registered: 6-21-2007
Location: europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: observer!
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Hello;
I join eliot on some points of view;
Moreover, i think that for a useful project, a cultural survey of the background in the visited zone is not only welcome but necessary: to initiate
such a project it's not sufficient to be willing to learn, one would need to have a minimum of research done on the subject. That's how would his
contribution be more valuable.
But it's a nice idea if all the preparatory work is done. It would open some new horizons to cooperative exchange projects.
I have unfortunately no precise and concrete proposition.
Keep us informed if something came to happen.
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