Middle Eastern Studies

Middle Eastern Studies is an area of study anchored in the four major languages of the Middle East. Arabic (the Arab countries and North Africa), Hebrew (Israel), Persian (Iran) and Turkish (Turkey).

About the unit

The research area has roots in the early history of the University of Copenhagen with the establishment of a chair in Hebrew in 1536. From the 17th Century Arabic was taught from the 20th Century Turkish and Persian were added. In the 1990s, the areas merged. Since then, Middle Eastern Languages and Societies have covered a broad range of humanistic and social-scientific approaches to studying the modern Middle East in particular. Geographically the area covers a region spanning North Africa and West and Central Asia also known as the MENA region.

Contact

Scholars connected to the research area contribute to international scholarship on the Middle East in history and the present day with a particular focus on media, politics, religion, literature and societal dynamics.

In addition, researchers cater research-based knowledge to public and private actors in Denmark and abroad. In particular, scholars excel in providing knowledge for Danish and international media coverage of politics and society in the Middle East.

Collaborative research projects

Archiving the Future: Re-Collections of Syria in War and Peace
Funding: Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Project period: 1 February 2020 - 30 June 2024
Contact: Andreas Bandak

Danish Mosques – Significance, Use and Influence
Funding: Independent Research Fund Denmark
Project period: 2017 - 2020
Contact: Brian Arly Jacobsen

Viable Futures: Near and Long Term Prospects among Syrian Youth in Jordan
Funding: Novo Nordisk Fonden
Project period: 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023
Contact: Andreas Bandak

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