Welcome

The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies promotes understanding of the Middle East through teaching, research, and community outreach. Our center is distinguished by its cross-regional approach to Middle East studies, one that breaks down area studies barriers in order to track global flows of ideas, commodities, and people.

The Center is part of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, a collaboration between Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Persian Studies    Turkish Studies    Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies    Conflict Management Initiative

Latest News

Space

• 

  Webinar Presents Lessons on Muslim American History

  On September 29, 2021, the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies hosted a webinar for educators, “Muslim American History Modules for the Social Studies Curriculum.” The program featured curricular materials for high school social studies teachers on Muslim … Continued

• 

  UNC Area Studies Centers Host “Global Careers for LGBTQ Folk”

  Members of the LGBTQ+ community play key roles in international business, diplomacy, advocacy, and scholarship, but they can also face unique challenges in global careers because of their sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression (on top of all … Continued

• 

  Six UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate Students Awarded Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships

  Six doctoral students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were awarded grants under the 2021 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellows Program (DDRA). Carolina consistently ranks among the top producers of Fulbright-Hays DDRA fellows.  UNC-Chapel Hill was awarded $210,398 in funding … Continued

• 

  UNC and Duke Area Studies Centers Host Cultural Kitchen Series for NC Educators

  The UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University area studies centers connected with North Carolina educators in kitchens across the state in three virtual Cultural Kitchen sessions that explored dishes from Latin America, Southeast Asia and North Africa. The series served as … Continued

• 

  Banu Gökarıksel Appointed Chair of the Curriculum in Global Studies

    Banu Gökarıksel, professor of geography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been appointed to a four-year term as chair of the Curriculum in Global Studies.    Gökarıksel holds an impressive record of leadership and scholarship at Carolina. A faculty member since 2005, she … Continued

• 

  Analyzing Ancient Animal Remains

  Animal teeth excavated from Bronze Age cities may answer fundamental questions about how early urban centers operated. From left, graduate student Christine Mikeska and Associate Professor Benjamin Arbuckle from the College of Arts & Sciences’ department of anthropology. (Photo by … Continued

• 

  UNC and Duke Area Studies Centers Support Globalizing Curricula Across Minority-Serving Institutions and Community Colleges

    Educators from minority-serving institutions (MSI) and community colleges across the southeast led panels about how they utilize resources from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke area studies centers to advance global scholarship and integrate global … Continued

• 

  African Studies Center and Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Joint Statement on the Delay to Vote to Tenure Nikole Hannah-Jones

  The African Studies Center (ASC) and Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies (CMEIS) value and uphold the principles of academic freedom. This freedom is necessary for us to conduct research, teaching, and service that furthers the interests of the … Continued

• 

  Give Me the Mic and Sing: Teaching about the Middle East and North Africa through Women’s Hip Hop.

  by Kristin Waterbury Song, particularly hip hop, provides women with a unique platform to amplify their voices, combat stereotypes, and address social issues. The importance of music to women around the world is reflected in the lyrics of Palestinian artist … Continued

• 

  Virtual Cultural Festival Promotes Intercultural Education in K-12 Classrooms

    Carolina Navigators, a service-learning and global education outreach program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, took K-12 classes around the world in its 14th biannual Virtual Cultural Festival on Friday, April 23.  A total of 27 … Continued