News

The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies (CMEIS) successfully conducted a professional development training for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) staff and Durham Public Schools at the Teaching & Learning Conference Day in collaboration with the other UNC area studies centers. The training was offered to fifty [...]

Dear UNC Students, Faculty, Staff, and Community, Due to the present circumstances and as a courtesy to our community during this difficult time, the event “A Conversation with Dr. Cornel West” will be rescheduled for a later date. We will communicate the new date as soon as possible. Thank [...]

Micah Hughes -- Associate Director It is with great pleasure that we extend a heartfelt welcome to our new Associate Director, Dr. Micah Hughes, to the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies. We are thrilled that Dr. Hughes has joined us and look forward to the many contributions, [...]

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, The Fall Semester is a time of renewal, opportunity, and inspiration. We are thrilled to welcome you back to the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies for another exciting year at UNC. Whether you’re returning from a break or stepping into our campus [...]

In June 2023, CMEIS collaborated with GEEO (Global Exploration for Educators Organization - a non-profit organization that helps and encourage teachers to travel abroad) to lead a two-week educational study tour across Morocco. Caroline Sibley, Teaching Assistant Professor in Arabic and Coordinator for the North Carolina Arabic Teacher [...]

We are excited to welcome our newest Visiting Scholar Emrah Yildiz (PhD, Istanbul University). Emrah is an economic sociologist who teaches courses on modernization and economic development in Turkey. His major research interest lies in the relationship between Turkey and international organizations, particularly the role of foreign experts and [...]

Faculty, staff, students and community across the state came together on April 14-15 for the NC Consortium for Middle Eastern Studies 2023 conference centered on “Border Politics: Bodies, Community and Ecology.” The 2 day event (also co-sponsored by the UNC Institute for Arts and Humanities and Center for Middle [...]

Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi We all enjoyed an intellectual feast on Friday March 10th, at the UNC Persian Studies Program symposium “Bazm O Razm In The Persianate World: Continuities And Convergences” (co-sponsored by the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies). Throughout the day, 2 dozen participants and [...]

On Friday March 3, 2023 the UNC Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies (CMEIS) celebrated it's 20th anniversary with a night full of entertainment! We started with a reception for longtime community supporters, leadership, faculty, staff, and graduate student members of the center. Make a Gift to the Center [...]

On Friday, February 17, 2023, the Center for Middle East Studies and Islamicate Graduate Student Association collaborated on a research colloquium where graduate students and faculty specializing in Middle East and Islamic Studies workshopped their in-progress research, building bridges across various disciplines and departments across campus. John Miller (Ph.D. [...]

The Center for the Middle East and Islamic Studies has been profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of life and suffering of the survivors in Turkey and Syria after the recent earthquakes. We offer our condolences to those who have lost loved ones and extend our solidarity and support [...]

As part of our lecture series this year on "Legacies of the Middle Eastern and Muslim Experience of the 20th Century," we were delighted to host Professor Zvi Ben-Dor Benite of New York University, one of the most eminent scholars of the history of Chinese Muslims. Over 100 students, [...]