Past News Articles

  • August 21, 2023

    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 [...]

  • August 15, 2023

    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 [...]

  • May 19, 2023

    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 [...]

  • April 17, 2023

    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 [...]

  • March 12, 2023

    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 [...]

  • March 8, 2023

    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 [...]

  • February 21, 2023

    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. [...]

  • February 15, 2023

    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 [...]

  • February 7, 2023

    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, [...]

  • January 13, 2023

    Ehsan Sheikholharam, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Religious Studies, was recently published in the International Journal of Religion. His article entitled, “Borders within Borders: Superkilen as the Site of Assimilation”, tackles the question of the representations of Muslims. The article focuses on a park in Copenhagen, [...]

  • December 5, 2022

    Educators working to expand Arabic as a language offering to North Carolina students gathered recently at UNC-Chapel Hill to explore diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the language and cultures classroom. FIKRA, The second annual conference of the N.C. Arabic Teacher Council (NCATC), held Oct. 21-22, drew more than [...]

  • November 16, 2022

    Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi, Director of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, was invited to have a discussion with host Cristen Conger on her national podcast Unladylike. The episode, titled “A Feminist Revolution in Iran” covers why Iranian women been burning hijabs and leading protests ever since a 22-year-old Kurdish woman [...]