The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign marked the 150^th anniversary of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) with a two-day research forum celebrating Lebanon’s history and USJ’s enduring academic legacy. Held in Illinois’s historic 1867 library, the gathering featured a curated exhibition of rare USJ archival materials alongside two lectures by Prof. Christian Taoutel, Head of the USJ Department of History and International Relations (HRI).

Prof. Taoutel examined Lebanon’s pressing challenges in preserving its archives and revisited defining episodes in the country’s past, including the Mount Lebanon Famine during World War I.

Dr. Marc Abou Abdallah, USJ instructor and visiting professor at Illinois, led this academic event highlighting shared academic interests and laying the groundwork for future collaborations and joint research initiatives between the two institutions.
Read also: L'USJ célébrée à l'Université de l'Illinois pour son 150e anniversaire

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