Featured Lectures

UNE Constitution Day

Title: The Immigration Crisis and the Presidential Election
Institution: University of New England | September 24, 2024
Embed video: YouTube link (UNE Constitution Day Lecture)
Description: The University of New England’s 2024 Constitution Day focused on the U.S. Constitution, the election, and the immigration crisis, with Professor Ali Ahmida introducing the event and Professor Rob Alegre discussing the causes of Central American migration.

Sabbatical Talk 2015

Title: Genocide and Silence: Archival and Field Work Notes on the Italian Fascist Internment in Colonial Libya
Institution: University of New England | November 24, 2015
Embed video: YouTube link (Sabbatical Talk by Dr. Ali Ahmida)
Description: A detailed account of the research process behind uncovering Libya’s hidden colonial genocide.

Lectures & Public Talks

2011-2012

“The Libyan Situation Now”. The World Affairs Council of Maine. November 6 2012.

“Theories of Social Revolutions in the 20th Century and the Arab Spring”. University of Akron. March 20 2012.

“Libya from Dictatorship to Revolution: A Historical and Comparative View”. 14th Annual Sally A. Miller Humanities Lecture. University of Akron. March 20 2012.

“The Struggle over National Symbols in the Libyan Revolution” Revolution in MENA,  Oberlin College. March 17 2012.

Obstacles and Challenges Facing Libyan Society After the February 17 Revolution. Ministry of Culture, Tripoli. December 31 2011

How to Think About National Reconciliation in Libya. University of Tripoli, December 24-26, 2011

“Libya: From Dictatorship to Revolution”. New York University, October 28 2011

“Popular Protests, Governance and Political Transitions in the Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia”. Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies. October 20-21 2011

Assessing Libya. Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies. September 1 2011

“After Qaddafi: The Challenges of Building a Civil Democratic System”. United Nations Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peace Keeping Missions, New York, June 9 2011.

“The Ghosts of Libya’s Colonial Past & Why Qaddafi’s Regime Failed?” Brecht Forum, New York, June 8 2011

“Al-Koni’s Saharan Imagination: Engaging Modernity, History, and the Nation-State” Georgetown University, April 28 2011

“Why Qaddafi Already Lost and the Ghosts of Libya’s Colonial Past”. Georgetown University, April 27 2011

1992-1996

“Teaching Roots of Contemporary Cultures at University of New England,” Faculty Develop­ment, UNE, Biddeford, ME, Spring 1996.

“The Crisis of Governance in North Africa,” Presenta­tion, 28th annual meeting of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates, Washington, DC, 1995.

“The Politics of Islamic Fundamentalism,” Faculty Forum, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washing­ton, December 5, 1993.

“American Libyan Relations,” Voice of America Radio, Washington, D.C. February 5, 1993.

“An Islamic State?  Reflections on the Crisis of the Nationalist State in Algeria,” Faculty Forum, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, June 20, 1992.

Center for Global Humanities Lecture 2021

Title: The Forgotten Genocide in Libya
Institution: University of New England | October 11, 2021
Embed video: YouTube link (Ali Ahmida - The Forgotten Genocide in Libya)
Description: This lecture revisits the Italian colonial genocide in Libya and discusses how historical silence shapes collective memory.

Libya and the Arab Revolts - Part 2: Ali Ahmida

Title: Middle East Institute Panel Discussion: Libya and the Arab Revolts
Institution: Columbia University | March 4, 2011
Embed video: YouTube link (Panel Discussion with Ali Ahmida)
Description: This panel explored Libya’s 2011 revolution and its impact on political change across the Middle East and North Africa.

1997-2003

“The Politics of Identity and Alienation in North Africa” Arab Festival, Arab-American Cultural Center of Washington, Seattle, WA, October 19, 2003.

“Researching State-Society Relations in Libya During the 1940's: Sources and Problems” Center for Libyan Studies, Tripoli, Libya, June, 2002.

“Libya: A Terrorist or Revolutionary State?”  UNE Faculty Colloquium, Biddeford, ME,  April,  2001.  

“The Sahara as a Contexted Space,” African Studies Distinguished Lecture Series, 1999 - 2000, Africa at the End of the Millennium, Center for International Studies, Washington University and University of Missouri - St. Louis, October 2000.

“Theories and Models of Citizenship”, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, May 1999.

“Colonialism and its impact on Racism Today” University of New England, Biddeford, Maine,   February, 1999.

“Colonialism and State Formation in North Africa in Comparative Perspective,” University of Tunis, Summer, 1997.

“Teaching Exploration Courses at University of New England,” Faculty Development, UNE, Biddeford, ME, Spring, 1997.

1990-1991

“Culture, Resistance, and the Recovery of History,” Faculty Cultural Legacy group, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, June 4, 1991.

“The Aftermath of the Gulf War:  What is Next?” Canton Presbyterian Church, Canton, NY, April 5, 1991.

“Chances for Peace in the Aftermath of the Gulf War,” North County Public Radio, Canton, NY, March 20, 1991.

“The Making of the Gulf Crisis,” Brown University, Providence, RI, March 4, 1991.

“Alternative State Formation:  The Case of the Sanusiyya [North Africa],” Southwest Asia/North Africa Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, January 31, 1991.

“The Origins of the Gulf Crisis,” North Country Public Radio, Canton, NY, January 30, 1991.