Middle East Studies for the New Millennium - (Social Science Research Council) by Seteney Shami & Cynthia Miller-Idriss (Hardcover)

About the Book

Few world regions today are of more pressing social and political interest than the Middle East: hardly a day has passed in the last decade without events there making global news. Understanding the region has never been more important, yet the field of Middle East studies in the United States is in flux, enmeshed in ongoing controversies about the relationship between knowledge and power, the role of the federal government at universities, and ways of knowing "other" cultures and places. Assembling a wide range of scholars immersed in the transformations of their disciplines and the study of this world region, Middle East Studies for the New Millennium explores the big-picture issues affecting the field, from the geopolitics of knowledge production to structural changes in the university to broader political and public contexts. Tracing the development of the field from the early days of the American university to the "Islamophobia" of the present day, this book explores Middle East studies as a discipline and, more generally, its impact on the social sciences and academia. Topics include how different disciplines engage with Middle East scholars, how American universities teach Middle East studies and related fields, and the relationship between scholarship and U.S.-Arab relations, among others. Middle East Studies for the New Millennium presents a comprehensive, authoritative overview of how this crucial field of academic inquiry came to be and where it is going next. --

Book Synopsis

Few world regions today are of more pressing social and political interest than the Middle East: hardly a day has passed in the last decade without events there making global news. Understanding the region has never been more important, yet the field of Middle East studies in the United States is in flux, enmeshed in ongoing controversies about the relationship between knowledge and power, the role of the federal government at universities, and ways of knowing "other" cultures and places.

Assembling a wide range of scholars immersed in the transformations of their disciplines and the study of this world region, Middle East Studies for the New Millennium explores the big-picture issues affecting the field, from the geopolitics of knowledge production to structural changes in the university to broader political and public contexts. Tracing the development of the field from the early days of the American university to the "Islamophobia" of the present day, this book explores Middle East studies as a discipline and, more generally, its impact on the social sciences and academia. Topics include how different disciplines engage with Middle East scholars, how American universities teach Middle East studies and related fields, and the relationship between scholarship and U.S.-Arab relations, among others. Middle East Studies for the New Millennium presents a comprehensive, authoritative overview of how this crucial field of academic inquiry came to be and where it is going next.

Review Quotes

"Assembling an exceptional cast of scholars in Middle East studies and beyond, Seteney Shami and Cynthia Miller-Idriss not only produce a volume everyone in that area of study needs to read, but one that every university actor concerned for the globalization of knowledge must engage. How one addresses this region in intellectual life illuminates priorities, alliances, and comforts like no other region will. Consequently, for anyone who seeks exemplary reflexivity and articulations of intellectual and institutional responsibility in an age of increasing belligerence, Middle East Studies for the New Millennium is a critical start for a field in the making."--Michael D. Kennedy, author of Globalizing Knowledge: Intellectuals, Universities, and Publics in Transformation

"The essays in this impressive volume, empirically rich and analytically insightful, explore key dimensions of the field of Middle East studies, including its relationship to the traditional disciplines, its place in American higher education, and the political assaults to which it has been subjected over the years. It is a worthwhile read for anyone who seeks a fuller understanding of how this academic field has evolved, the challenges it faces today, and its future prospects."--Zachary Lockman, author of Field Notes: The Making of Middle East Studies in the United States