In November 2025, CBRL hosted the First International Conference on Contemporary Arab Diaspora Literature at the Amman Institute, marking the successful conclusion of a two-day academic gathering. The conference was co-organised with the University of Jordan’s research group, “Contemporary Arab Diasporic Literary Studies”, and brought together a distinguished group of scholars and writers from across the Arab world and beyond.

The conference was described by Prof. Yousef Abu Amrieh, Head of the research group and Professor at the School of Foreign Languages, as a significant academic milestone. He noted that it represented the first international and specialised conference in the Arab world dedicated to contemporary Arab diaspora literature, highlighting its importance for both regional and global scholarship.

More than 50 research papers were presented at the conference. People from 15 countries took part, including from the United States, the UK, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Palestine, and Jordan. This diverse international participation showed how diaspora studies and its evolving role within literary and cultural research are growing in relevance.

Discussions were held around cultural identity, intercultural exchange, and the role of language and translation in shaping cross-cultural understanding. Participants also looked at the influence of technology on emerging literary forms and explored representations of time and place in diaspora writing across genres, including fiction, poetry, and drama.

The conference also engaged with the works of prominent writers of Arab origin writing in global languages, including Fadia Faqir, Diana Abu-Jaber, Isabella Hammad, and Hisham Matar whose contributions have enriched contemporary literary landscapes.

A key outcome of the conference was the emphasis on developing new theoretical frameworks for analysing texts produced by authors of Arab origin in non-Arabic languages. As noted by Prof. Abu Amrieh, this field remains in a formative stage and requires further critical and methodological development.

Further information, including session details and research abstracts, is available through the research group’s website.