Macalester’s tenth annual International Roundtable, which takes place Oct. 9-11, will explore the theme “Complex Contradictions: African, American, and Middle Eastern Perspectives.”

James Wallace Professor and Dean of International Studies and Programming Ahmed Samatar said that the theme, chosen by an advisory board comprised of Macalester faculty and students, “addresses the United States’ role in the new and changing international system that has emerged since the Cold War.” Emily Parker ’04, a student respondent for the conference, commented that the theme “explores what it means to be American.”

Samatar said that this year’s roundtable also serves as a prelude to next year’s theme, “The United States and World Power: Empire or…?”

Rashid Khalidi, Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, will confront issues challenging the people of the Middle East, address possible solutions and discuss the United States’ role in these matters. His presentation is entitled “The Past and Future of Democracy in the Middle East.”

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California-Irvine, will address cultural issues concerning African peoples and their role in the global environment with his presentation “When the Margin Becomes the Center: African Identities in a Global Environment.”

Philip Bobbitt, A.W. Walker Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas, will point out relevant aspects of the post-September 11 world and how they relate to the global interests of the United States with his presentation “Terrorism and the Market State.”

“In past years, speakers haven’t had enough time to interact and be challenged by the audience,” Parker said. In an attempt to remedy this, next Saturday’s schedule will, for the first time in the history of the program, include a roundtable discussion involving all three presenters.

Samatar remarks that “this year’s roundtable will be a double feature of sorts,” including a musical component as another first in program history. A traditional Korean ensemble of four musicians will perform in the Janet Wallace Concert Hall next Friday, Oct. 10.

The format of the main sessions involves a presentation followed by the comments of two respondents, generally a student and a professor or visiting scholar. The presenter is then able to respond to the respondents’ comments. At the end of the session, the audience will be able to ask questions of both the presenter and the respondents.

Michael Okrob ’04 and Emily Parker will act as respondents. Parker, an International Studies major, said that “the roundtable has made International Studies questions more dynamic—we read about them, see them presented, debated and are able to ask our own questions.”

Parker said that the Roundtable should appeal to a wide audience. “The [Roundtable] tends to be accessible, and is naturally interdisciplinary,” she said.

According to Samatar, the International Roundtable began in 1994 as an initiative to strengthen the International Studies department. Ten years, over 45 scholarly papers and almost 100 student and faculty member participants later, other schools such as Grinnell College are looking into implementing similar programs.

This year’s presenters’ essays are now available in the library. The roundtable is free and open to the public.