A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor will discuss perceptions of justice among Syrians in an upcoming lecture to celebrate Arkansas Peace Week. 

Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor and Middle Eastern Studies coordinator, will deliver the lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, at UA Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave. “Perceptions of Justice, Connections to Home Among the Syrian Diaspora” will explore the complexity of how individuals’ living conditions shape their demands for justice.

“There is variation in what justice means to different people,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “While this is true for humanity as a whole, Syrians’ views depend a lot on the relative precariousness of their situation. In the wake of the Syrian government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, and the civil war atrocities that ensued, Syrians have diverse views about what would be a just response to the violence.”

For the past five years, Wiebelhaus-Brahm’s research has examined perspectives among Syrian activists. This new project compares those views with refugees and internally displaced persons. 

As part of the Middle Eastern Studies Program’s mission to advance understanding of the Middle East among Arkansans, Wiebelhaus-Brahm aims to draw attention to Syrians and other victims of human rights violations who deserve to have their justice demands heard. Wiebelhaus-Brahm studies transitional justice, meaning how societies wrestle with histories of violence and repression and the politics surrounding justice for past atrocities. Other recent research supported by the program include studies of Middle Eastern immigrants in Brazil and attitudes about safety among immigrants from the Middle East in Arkansas.

Wiebelhaus-Brahm’s lecture coincides with Arkansas Peace Week, in which community organizations across the state draw attention to peace and social justice issues. For more information, contact Wiebelhaus-Brahm at ejwiebelhaus@ualr.edu.