An eminent Arabist and expert on the Middle East and Yemen will present the St John’s College Hinsley Memorial Lecture 2025.
Dr Elisabeth Kendall, The Mistress of Girton College, University of Cambridge, will give her lecture titled The Role of Yemen and the Houthis in the Broader Middle East Conflict on Monday 17 March at 5.30pm in the College’s Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Dr Kendall is a Yemen specialist whose current research focuses on Arabic cultural production and non-state armed groups. She has spent significant time in the field, especially in Yemen. In her lecture, she will discuss the activities of Yemen’s Houthis since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the war in Gaza.
Dr Kendall said: “After a decade of civil war in Yemen, which the international community barely noticed, despite the Houthis launching more than 1,000 missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia and striking targets inside the United Arab Emirates, suddenly the world sat up and watched, wondering: who are the Houthis, what do they want, will the Gaza ceasefire halt Houthi attacks, and where might all this lead?”
Before becoming Mistress of Girton College in 2022, Dr Kendall held positions at the Universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Harvard, and served as Director of a UK government-sponsored centre aimed at building Arabic-based research expertise. She has lectured at government, military and scholarly institutions worldwide and is a frequent contributor to international television and print media. Dr Kendall has written and edited several works on Arabic and Islamic literature, language and culture. She is currently working on a new book, Rock Stars of Jihad.
The Hinsley Memorial Lecture honours Sir Harry Hinsley, a former student and later Master of St John’s and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Originally a medieval historian, Hinsley worked as a cryptanalyst at Bletchley Park during World War II, where he contributed to the analysis of intercepted German wireless traffic. He returned to St John’s after the conflict, and lectured in History, specialising in the History of International Relations. St John's College hosts the Hinsley Memorial Lecture on an international relations topic every year.
After Dr Kendall’s lecture there will be a drinks reception in Central Hall at the Old Divinity School.
Early registration is advisable as places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is required by Monday 10 March. An email will be sent ahead of the event to confirm places.
Register your interest for the Hinsley Memorial Lecture 2025
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