Doha: Doha will host an international conference on Orientalism from April 26 to 27, Qatar Foundation’s QatarDebate Center announced Wednesday.

According to Qatar News Agency, at least 300 researchers from 50 countries will engage in discussions on various manifestations of new orientalism, aiming to envision a balanced civilizational communication. This inaugural edition of the conference will be organized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and QatarDebate Center, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences. It will also involve Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and several international institutions, including Leiden University in the Netherlands, the Center for Advanced Studies in Sarajevo, and Dagestan State University.

The conference agenda will explore the reality and development of Orientalist studies, their historical and contemporary positions on current issues, and the East-West interaction throughout history. The event will serve as a platform for researchers to exchange experiences with leading scholars in Orientalism, Arab and Islamic studies, while also enhancing future cooperation.

A select group of renowned Arab and Western scholars will participate under the supervision of the conference’s scientific committee, chaired by Professor Mahmoud Al Hamza, an expert in Russian Orientalism. Professors from Qatari universities and institutions will also be involved in the conference.

The keynote speech will be delivered by French scholar and politician Dr. Francois Burgat. Registration for the conference is set to open soon, with further details to be announced on the conference’s social media platforms in the coming weeks.