Alumni/ae

BCB Professor of Art History Geoff Lehman is a guest on the podcast On the Green Track hosted by BCB alumna Ditke Grønvald (Humanities, Arts, and Social Thought ’18). The podcast explores the topics of travel and tourism from a intersectional and philosophical point of view, touching on the cultural and social aspects as well as issues of sustainability.

In the first of a two part episode, titled: “Travel and the Imagination” Prof. Lehman discusses how our dreams and internal life, including our response to art and media, influence us our travel choices and experiences.

Listen to the first part on Spotify here >>
Find out more about Dikte’s work on travel and tourism on the On The Green Track website >>
 

BCB alumnus and former PIESC scholar Sam Zamrik (HAST ’21) curated a three day writing and music workshop series at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) museum in Berlin.

The workshop series titled “The Pen and the Beat” and running from October 8 to 10, 2021, was part of a series of events dealing with migration, asylum, and exile, coordinated by the HKW to run alongside its oral history installation Archiv der Flucht (Archive of Refuge).

The first two workshops “Listening Critically” and “Between Weimar and Now” involved reading and free writing exercises and focused on creating space for the exchange of migrant and refugee narratives and the (re)definition of legal terminology surrounding asylum. In the third workshop “Refubeats” participants produced audio compositions on their smartphones inspired by the stories from the Archiv der Flucht installation.

The workshops were co-hosted by Sam Zamrik, BCB faculty member Ariane Simard, BCB alumnus Anas Maghrebi (Humanities, Arts, and Social Thought '21), and Syrian journalist Dima Kalaji.

Sam works as a freelance writer, poet and musician. Find out more about his work here >>
 

In an article titled “Die Verletzlichsten” (the most woundable) for Zeit Online, BCB alumna Maheen Atif (EPST ’19) sheds light on the situation of the Afghan Hazara minority in the context of the recent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

Outside of Afghanistan the largest Hazara group can be found in Pakistan. Originating from Pakistan herself, Maheen feels a strong affiliation to Afghanistan and the Hazara.

In the article Maheen outlines the history of the Hazara diaspora in Pakistan, discusses the challenges facing them in other countries, and lastly draws attention to the imminent danger facing them due to Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

Maheen Atif is a 2019 BCB Economics, Politics, and Social Thought graduate. Her thesis titled: “Migration Culture and Survival Memory among the Hazaras of the World” is dedicated to the Hazara people.

Read the full article on Zeit Online >>
 

BCB alumna Wafa Mustafa spoke to the Guardian about the disappearance of her father Ali Mustafa, a human rights activist, who was detained by the Syrian Regime in July 2013 and has not been heard from since.

In the interview she reflects on how this family tragedy has affected her activism as well as her personal life. She also speaks about her experiences protesting during the Syrian revolution in 2011 and being detained in a Syrian government prison herself.

Wafa is a 2020 Humanities, Arts, and Social Thought graduate and a former PIESC Program scholar. She is a journalist and activist, who works together with the organization Families for Freedom, campaigning for the freedom of those who have been detained by the Syrian Regime.

Read the full interview on the Guardian website >>
 

BCB alumnus and former PIESC scholar Ahmad Mobayed helped lead a Q&A with 2019 Nobel Prize Laureate in chemistry Stanley Whittingham as part of the 2021 Nobel Prize Summit: "Our Planet, Our Future" (26- 28 April, 2021).

In his questions Ahmad focused on what role youth and education could play in the transition to renewable energy sources. Further guests on the panel were Nobel Prize Laureate in physics David Gross and Beatie Wolfe, artist and innovator for UN Women.

Originally from Syria, Ahmad completed his Bachelors in Economics, Politics ,and Social Thought at Bard College Berlin in 2019 and is now enrolled in a Masters of Public Policy at the Hertie School in Berlin. During his studies Ahmad has worked for Kiron, an NGO that offers free online learning opportunities to displaced persons and underserved communities. He is co-founder of the Syrian Youth Assembly, who work to empower young people to participate in the peace process in Syria.

Read more about Ahmad's story on the Hertie School website >>
Watch a recording of the Nobel Prize's YouTube channel >>