International Conference: Reorganizing the Middle East 1912-1948

The Balkan Wars of 1912-13 and the First World War led to the collapse and partition of the Ottoman Empire, the establishment of League of Nations Mandates for Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Syria, and the creation of the state system of the twentieth century Middle East. This conference will consider these topics, with particular focus on the mandates system – their place within the post-war international world order, the transition of Middle Eastern territory from Ottoman to British and French governance, the practices of the mandates “on the ground,” and the formation of mandatory political identities, both ephemeral and durable.