IASIL Chair – Dr Christina Morin

Tina is currently the Assistant Dean of Research in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Limerick.

Prof. Ondřej Pilný

Professor of English and American Literature and Director of the Centre for Irish Studies at Charles University, Prague, and a Distinguished Senior Lecturer at the Anglo-American University in Prague. Ondřej Pilný is the past Chairperson of IASIL and a former Vice-President of EFACIS. At Charles University, he serves as Chair of the Graduate Studies Board for Anglophone Literatures and Cultures and is Chief Editor of the Litteraria Pragensia: Studies in Literature and Culture journal.

Prof. Emilie Pine

Professor of Modern Drama in the School of English,Drama and Film at University College Dublin, Ireland. She is the author of the bestselling essay collection, Notes to Self, winner of the 2018 Irish Book of the Year award, which has been translated into 15 languages. Her debut novel Ruth & Pen (2022) won the 2023 Kate O’Brien First Novel Award.

Ms. Ola Majekodunmi

Ola is a broadcaster, Gaeilgeoir, writer, producer, and Board of Directors Member on Foras na Gaeilge, Dublin Film Festival and a member of Galway Film Centre’s National Talent Academy Steering Committee.

Prof. Malcolm Sen

Professor in the Department of English at University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.He leads the Environmental Humanities Initiative at the institution and is the co-chair of the interdisciplinary, campus-wide Sustainability Strategy Working Group. Author of Unnatural Disasters: Irish Literature, Climate Change and Sovereignty (2022).

IASIL 2023 Conference Programme Download Programme PDF

Book of Abstracts Download PDF

Buses by the British University in Egypt

Privately Run University Buses will be available for the Conference Delegates (daily 17-21 July 2023)

IASIL 2023 Conference Organising Committee has arranged for daily transportation from specific pick-up and drop-off point to the conference venue.

A private university bus (BUE silver bus) will be available daily for the conference delegates during the conference 17-21 July 2023.

The bus pick-up and drop-off points and the exact times will be shared on this website and by email once the Registration closes so we can plan the route to fit the locations of the delegates’ accommodation to the best of our ability.

Traditional Irish Fiddle Music Performance

17th July and 18th July 2023 on campus (free event)

Irish Fiddle Music by Gerry O’Connor is supported by Culture Ireland.

Gerry O’Connor is an Irish musician, violin maker, publisher and owner of Lughnasa Music. O’Connor is known for his traditional Irish fiddle music.

Book Launch Option Free of Charge

If you are an author, editor or publisher and you want to promote your book or launch a new book relevant to the themes of the conference choose the Book Launch option when you pay for Registration.

Suggested Touristic Places to Visit

Plan Your Personalised Tourist Trip Around Egypt

Private Tours (Customised Tour with a Tour Guide)

You may wish to plan your individual customised tour. Below is a recommended Egyptologist and tour guide you can contact directly. Please mention IASIL 2023 Conference Egypt.

Mrs. Hanan Deyab

Mobile: +0122-3161-899

email: hdeyab62@gmail.com

Pyramids of Giza

Photo credit: Dr Mona Abdel Hady

Photo credits: Mahynour Saleh

Photo credits: Rania M Rafik Khalil

Campus Accommodation

The British University in Egypt (BUE) is offering campus accommodation to the IASIL 2023 Conference participants. Spaces are limited and reservation is on a first come first serve basis. Campus accommodation is managed directly by the university and is not under the responsibility of the conference organising committee.

You can book your campus accommodation for the duration of the conference 17-21 July 2023. Campus Accommodation will be available from 16-22 July 2023. You will be able to book your Campus Accommodation through the online conference Registration Form.

For further inquiries about campus accommodation and details kindly email Mr Amr Shawkat amr.shawkat@bue.edu.eg with subject line IASIL2023 Conference copying the organising committee on IASIL2023@bue.edu.eg

The IASIL 2023 Conference Organising Committee is NOT responsible for the campus accommodation management and is not responsible for handling campus accommodation concerns, inquiries, or complaints.

For Campus Accommodation Complaints please directly contact Dr Cherif Attared  cherif.attared@bue.edu.eg and copy the the organising committee on IASIL2023@bue.edu.eg

Hotel Accommodation

Suggested Hotels (30 min drive from BUE campus)

Concorde El Salam Hotel, Radison Blu, JW Marriott, Renaissance Cairo Mirage City, Tolip Family Park Hotel, Triumph, Dusit Thani.

Recommendation for closest hotels:

El Salam Concorde Hotel

Radison Blu

Transportation (University Bus- BUE silver bus)

Transportation will be provided by the IASIL 2023 Organising Committee daily to the Conference Venue: The British University in Egypt campus in El Sherouk City, Suez desert road, Cairo, Egypt.

Tip:

You can use the Green Line 3 Metro and the LRT to travel from Zamalek to El Shorouk city.

Applications are invited for the annual IASIL PhD Forum, at which postgraduate students have the opportunity to present their work in progress and receive feedback from established scholars. The Forum will take place on Monday 17 July, 9:00-14:00, prior to the opening of the conference of the association at the BUE. Applicants must be postgraduate students working on a topic within Irish literary studies and paid-up members of IASIL. Applications should take the form of a 3000-word document outlining the student’s dissertation project and their current state of research, and should be accompanied by a brief CV (500 words).

Eligible participants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. The Forum can accommodate 10-15 students, who will be divided into two groups based on the area of their work. At the Forum, students will be asked to make a 5-minute presentation introducing their work to the group (the use of presentation software is encouraged); this will be followed by a detailed response to the students’ submission from two tutors, and a general discussion. Lunch will be provided for the participants.

Participation at the Forum does not preclude the possibility of presenting a paper at the conference.

Other graduate students are welcome to sit in at the Forum and join the discussion.

Applications or queries titled ‘PhD Forum’ are to be sent to the Forum convenor, Ondřej Pilný, at ondrej.pilny@ff.cuni.cz and IASIL2023@bue.edu.eg

Deadline: 30 May 2023.

Acceptance will be confirmed by 17 June 2023

Download Forms

https://old.bue.edu.eg/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/iasilscholapp-.pdf

https://old.bue.edu.eg/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/iasil_scholnotes-2.pdf

https://old.bue.edu.eg/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/iasilscholref_2.pdf

• Prof. Ondřej Pilný, Director, Centre for Irish Studies, Charles University, Czech Republic
• Prof. Waffia Mursi, Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University
• Prof. Katharina Rennhak, EFACIS President & Professor at the University of Wuppertal, Germany
• Prof. Hedwig Schwall, Director, Leuven Centre for Irish Studies, KU Leuven University, Belgium
• Prof. Malcolm Campbell, Professor of History, Head of School of Humanities, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
• Prof. Andrew Auge, Irish Studies Program, Loras College, USA
• Associate Prof. Rania M Rafik Khalil, Director, Research Centre for Irish Studies (RCIS), Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The British University in Egypt (Conference Convenor)

We look forward to welcoming you to Egypt.

About Egypt and Egyptians

Cairo and Alexandria are a blend of many peoples and cultures since pharaonic times as well as Greeks, Romans, Jews, Armenians, Arabs and Italians, among others. Some have their own communities, but the majority mixed with the local population leading to the Egypt we know today. Most Egyptians consider themselves to be the descendants of the pharaohs and are inclined to see themselves as different from Arabs. Egyptians speak local Arabic which is pertinent to Egypt as opposed to the Classical Arabic that is used across the Arab region. In general, Egyptians welcome foreigners and are cordial and warm. Egyptians tend to touch on the arm in a friendly gesture and mean no harm. Egyptians also tend to talk loudly and use hand gestures to communicate meaning. Some can speak fluent English and French. Some will attempt to speak English or French just to help you out if you need assistance, but don’t expect correct grammar or appropriate use of vocabulary. Egyptians have changed after the revolution and are struggling with the economic challenges. However, nearly anything you could possibly need is now available if you are willing to pay the price, especially imported consumer goods. As a result, such products may be more expensive when compared to locally manufactured goods. Overall, Egyptians are generous, conservative, and respectful. You will be expected to adjust yourself, as sensitively as possible, to the prevailing customs and norms.

Food

Food is varied here in Egypt. You will find traditional food like Koshary, falafel, fava beans cooked in ten different ways all delicious, french fries sandwiches, egg plant sandwiches, sougok (oriental sausages), shakshouka, molokheya (Jews Mellow a dark green soup) with white rice and beef cubes or chicken), in Alexandria, molokheya is served with shrimps instead of beef or chicken;  fattah (rice with meat/chicken), gulash with minced beef or cheese, mahshy (vegetables stuffed with spiced rice), stuffed pigeon with rice, as well as traditional desserts like om ali (pastry soaked in milk, honey and nuts cooked in the oven), rice pudding (ruz bel laban), mehalabeya (vanilla custard), kol we oshkor (baklava), konafa (pastry swirl stuffed with nuts), basbousa bel ishta (semolina flour mini dessert usually served with clotted cream).

International food is available widely across Egypt ranging from the fast food chains like Pizza Hut, Hardees, Chilly’s, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, McDonald’s to reasonably priced restaurants/cafes like Zooba, Ovio, La Poire, The Cork, The Eatery, Paul’s Cafe, La Casetta, Maison Thomas, Mo Bistro, Mori Sushi, Beanos Cafe, as well as high end international restaurants like Laduree.

Shopping

Khan El Khalily is the local bazaar and worth a visit for traditional gifts and leather goods.

Open Air Mall in Madinaty (7 min drive from campus). City Stars Mall, Cairo Festival City Mall. There you can find international brands like Guess, Marks & Spencers, Michael Kors and much more.

Climate

Egypt, more recently, has become fairly hot in the summer, particularly in July and August; we do get milder weather in October till December. However, over the past five years there has also been unpredictable rain fall between October and February varying between drizzle and torrents of rain. March and April have become trickier to predict due to climate change, but the weather is pleasant and is not too hot or too cold. Since the IASIL2023 is scheduled for July 17-21, 2023, it is important to note that it is very hot during July in Egypt. We recommend you read the section below on Clothes / What to Wear.

Traffic

Traffic is difficult to navigate in Cairo and Alexandria, particularly if you are driving. Google Maps is pretty helpful in finding alternative routes, but it may not always pick up on the newly constructed road network that connects the nation. It is always advisable to give yourself an extra 30 minutes if you are scheduled for an appointment. The duration of getting stuck in traffic is not predictable.

Transportation

There are taxis, buses, Uber, Careem, first class sleeper trains, and minibuses. The metro provides convenient low-cost transport to areas of Cairo, but is often crowded during rush hours.

You can also use the Green Line 3 Metro and the LRT to travel from Zamalek to El Shorouk city.

Transportation runs as usual even on official holidays.

Electricity

The electricity in Cairo, as in Europe, is 220 Volt and 110 Volt as the electricity in the United States/Canada.

What to Wear

Lightweight, loose-fitting cotton clothes are the most comfortable. Breathable fabrics are best for the hottest days. Many places in Cairo have air conditioning. Egyptians take pride in dressing well or as neatly as they can afford to. Semi-formal is expected for the IASIL2023 Conference on campus, Reception and / or the Gala dinner. Casual clothes are suitable for the tourist trips. Women don’t need to wear headscarves. Headscarves are only expected if they are on a tourist visit to a Mosque out of respect. There is no need to alter any of your dress code whether you are in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan or on campus, this goes for both men and women. However, you should consider the place you are going to and use your discretion. It is advisable not to wear halter-tops, skimpy shorts, micro-skirts or translucent fabric clothes. If you do, at least make sure you have a shawl with you. Hat, sunscreen and sunglasses are good to have, particularly if you are allergic to the sun or sensitive to sunlight. July and August are the hottest months in Egypt.

International Credit Cards:

International Credit Cards such as MasterCard and Visa are accepted. It is important to remember though that Cairo is very much still a cash-oriented society outside of the malls and fancy restaurants or international cafes.

There are ATM machines in Cairo and other major cities in Egypt that accept any hard currency or credit cards. Your account will be debited with the equivalent of the Egyptian pounds withdrawn, often in addition to a foreign transaction fee. You may be asked to show a valid ID so it is a good idea to keep one with you at all times during your stay in Egypt.

Banks

HSBC, Commercial International Bank CIB, Arab African International Bank AAIB.

CIB is available on our campus. ATM machines for CIB and AAIB are also available on campus. AAIB is a 5 minute walk away from the campus.

Rania M Rafik Khalil is an associate professor with a strong research track record in Irish drama and theatre. She obtained her MA and PhD in Irish drama and theatre from Ain Shams University. She currently teaches in the Department of English Language and Literature and at the same time, she holds the administrative positions of: Director of the Research Centre for Irish Studies (RCIS) and the Postgraduate Studies Programmes Director in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at The British University in Egypt.

Associate Prof. Khalil established the RCIS in October 2020 and it was inaugurated by the Ambassador of Ireland in Cairo Sean O’Regan in November 2021. It is the only Research Centre for Irish Studies (RCIS) in Egypt, North Africa, MENA region and the African continent.

Meet the Organisers

• Prof. Shadia Fahim, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Associate Prof. Rania M Rafik Khalil, Director, Research Centre for Irish Studies (RCIS) Conference Convenor
• Prof. Ondřej Pilný, Director, Centre for Irish Studies, Charles University, Czech Republic & previous IASIL Chair

Important Notice:

There will be photography during the conference events. Photos / videos will be posted on social media to meet the terms and conditions of grant donors.