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The Council for British Research in the Levant is pleased to open a callfor papers for a workshop to be held in Amman on 22 and 23 September,2014 on the broad topic of the Arab Uprising. From the end of 2010, aseries of unexpected popular uprisings have spread across North Africaand the Middle East. The dramatic unfolding of events has disrupted theregion in new and disturbing ways, including uprooting people bothinternally and across borders, transforming existing migrants intorefugees and constraining the movement of mobile populations. Someevents, as in Egypt and Tunisia, have been largely peaceful, withpolitical transitions under the mediation of the army. Other events havebeen brutal, with a witnessing of force of arms and violent suppressionof the opposition in Libya, and now also in Syria.  These diverse criseshave resulted in significant political turmoil, humanitarianemergencies, and regional political crises as the burden of hostingdisplaced people becomes overwhelming.This workshop will provide a space for interested researchers pre andpost-doctoral to critically engage with the evolving contemporary crisesacross the Middle East and North Africa focusing in particular on thenature of popular uprisings and democratic transformation as well as thechallenges surrounding the mass displacement of people. Some of theconceptual questions which might be addressed include:  what can wegeneralise about recent changes across the region? How much national/regional specificity is required? Do events since 2011 mark an end tocontentious notions about "Arab exceptionalism", the persistence ofauthoritarianism and the "Arab street"? What can we learn from theseevents about "democratic transition" in the region? What can we learnabout the comparative experiences of Islamist, liberal and secularradical currents? What issues of gender emerge from national andregional developments? Methodological and ethical questions might alsobe addressed and include:  how have the Arab uprisings been reported andresearched, and what are the implications for academic practice? Whatmethods are appropriate for data collection and analysis of massmovements for change? How can researchers in the social sciencesmobilise insights from oral history and narrative methods inunderstanding experiential aspects of the uprisings? Is there a placefor "action research"? What risks are acceptable for researchers duringepisodes of conflict?Please send proposed paper titles and abstracts of no more than 250words to CBRL@britac.ac.uk by April 30th. We will notify participantswhether their paper has been accepted by the end of May.The conference fee is £100, with a discounted rate of £50 for studentparticipants. The fee will cover attendance at the conference, includinglunches during the conference and the conference dinner.The CBRL is able to provide a limited number of travel and accommodationbursaries for postgraduate student participants. If you would like to beconsidered for a bursary please include this request when submittingyour abstract, together with a brief note confirming your current status.***CBRL Academic Arabic ProgrammeCBRL Arabic Bursary for post-doctoral resarchers14-25 July 2014 at IFPO in Beirut, LebanonThe CBRL Arabic Bursary comprises three elements:i. the full cost of tuition fees for the CBRL Academic Arabic Programme at IFPO;ii. the reimbursement of one economy class return airfare between the UK and Beirut, Lebanon, up to the limit of £600;iii. an accommodation allowance of £650.To be eligible for a bursary, applicants should:(i) be holders of a PhD in the humanities, social sciences, or other relevant discipline; and(ii) EITHER be employed at a UK higher education institution (on a full or part-time, permanent or temporary basis) OR hold a PhD from a UK higher education institution; and(iii) be current members of the Council for British Research in the Levant.For information about CBRL membership, visit www.cbrl.org.uk/join-us/membershipApplication forms may be obtained from www.cbrl.org.uk/fundingjobs/arabic-language-training or directly fromthe UK Administrative Secretary cbrl@britac.ac.uk  The deadline forreceipt of bursary applications is 18 April 2014.