News

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — [October 24, 2025] — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies (CMEIS) and the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (DAMES) are proud to announce the official launch of the Persian [...]

From Oct. 4-5, CMEIS staff joined members of North Carolina Arabic Teachers' Council to attend the Fostering Language Acquisition in North Carolina (FLANC) Fall Conference. It was an especially celebratory weekend as, for the first time in the conference's 59 year history, an Arabic language educator was named Teacher [...]

In early October, CMEIS was honored to host a screening of 'The Dawn is Too Far' alongside co-director Dr. Persis Karim. The 60-minute documentary (https://docfilm.sfsu.edu/dawn-too-far) explores the history, struggles, and impact of four generations of Iranian immigrants to the Bay Area, despite having been continuously "othered" [...]

CMEIS was honored to welcome artist Maryam Safajoo to mark the conclusion of her incredible installation at the FedEx Global Education Center. Titled My Bitter Childhood Window, Safajoo’s series of miniature oil paintings narrates true stories of persecution, resilience, and identity, drawn from the lived experiences of the Baháʼís of [...]

On September 16th, CMEIS hosted Dr. Elizabeth Perego to honor her receipt of the 2024 Carolina’s Outstanding Contribution to Middle East Studies Book Award. Dr. Perego, Assistant Professor at Appalachian State University, began the day meeting with graduate and undergraduate students to discuss her groundbreaking text Humor and Power [...]

On Tuesday, September 9th,  CMEIS was honored to celebrate Dr. Michael O’Sullivan’s achievement as a recipient of the Carolina’s Outstanding Contribution to Middle East and Islamic Studies Book Award! We began the day with a small reading group, where graduate students had the opportunity to [...]

On August 28th, we kicked off our annual lecture series with a lecture and reception with Dr. Dominic Brookshaw, Professor of Persian Literature and Iranian Culture at the University of Oxford. Dr. Brookshaw discussed the life and legacy of early Baha’i feminist, Tayereh Tehrani, closely examining her publications and [...]

We loved talking to students during the. Global Whistle-Stop Tour! This event was a wonderful way to kick off the fall semester and served to highlight the important work of all area studies centers here at UNC. It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon introducing CMEIS to students [...]

The Carolina's Outstanding Contribution to Middle East and Islamic Studies Book Award is presented annually to a North Carolina scholar to recognize a publication of exceptional quality and impact in the field of Middle East and Islamic Studies. This prestigious award honors authors whose work has made a significant [...]

Mark your calendars for the start of the academic year at CMEIS! This year, our annual lecture series is titled Telling Iran: Histories, Heroines, and Horizons. These events bring together scholars, artists, and documentarians to lead important conversations in Persian & Iranian studies.

On Friday, June 27th, faculty affiliated with the UNC Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies came together to discuss the escalation in war in the Middle East. Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi, CMEIS director and Rohan Distinguished Professor of Persian Studies, began the discussion with a deeply personal reflection on [...]

On May 12th, the UNC Area Studies Centers - CMEIS, the Carolina Asia Center, the African Studies Center, the Center for European Studies, the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies, and the Institute for the Study of the Americas - worked together to host an Area Studies [...]