The University of Minnesota is host to a wide and thriving community of scholars and researchers in the field of Middle East Studies spanning disciplines in the social sciences and humanities and time periods from the premodern era to the contemporary world. Our scholarship addresses the most puzzling enigmas of the past and the most pertinent issues of the present with the goal of advancing knowledge and informed discussion about this critically misunderstood and misrepresented part of the world. Our combined approach to the study of the Middle East recognizes the region’s unique history, societies, and cultures while also emphasizing the commonalities shared between the diverse peoples of the Middle East and those of other parts of the world.
Our scholars spearhead and are involved in a variety of centers and initiatives, including the Middle East, North Africa, and Islamic Studies group (MENAIS); the African Studies Initiative; the Institute for Global Studies; the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC); the Center for Medieval Studies; and the Mediterranean Workshop.