Williams Chicago Regional Association
Join us for a lively evening of connection, conversation, and intellectual curiosity! Reconnect with fellow Ephs, grow your Williams network, and dive into an engaging topic of the times. Whether you’re here for the ideas, the people, or just a great night out in Chicago—you won’t want to miss this special event!
27th Annual Pond Reception & Lecture
“History Matters! The Legacy of World War I in Today’s Middle East”
Thursday, May 15th, 2025
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5:30 p.m. Networking Reception
6:30 p.m. Presentation by Professor Bernhardsson
 | Faculty Keynote Speaker, Magnús Bernhardsson
Brown Professor of History and Faculty Affiliate in Arabic Studies, Leadership Studies and Religion, Chair of Global Studies |
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Peter '67 and Alicia Pond have partnered with Chris Sweeney '97 to host the event. Thanks to their generosity there is no charge for this event.
In this lecture, Professor Magnús Bernhardsson, who has taught Middle Eastern history at Williams since 2003, will invite you to engage directly with the history of this region through a discussion of the foundational events following World War I. Through a reading and analysis of three paradigmatic documents that forged the national boundaries of what we now know as the Middle East, the purpose of this lecture is to gain a better understanding of how events and decisions from over 100 years ago still shape political discourse and decision-making. In the Middle East, history is not something quaint in the past. Rather, it is a living, unresolved, ongoing reality. How does history matter and what does it tell us about the current predicaments, anxieties, and debates surrounding the Middle East?