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Middle Eastern studies, sometimes referred to asNear Eastern studies,West Asian Studies orSouth Western Asian studies, is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of theMiddle East, an area that is generally interpreted to cover a range of nations includingEgypt,Iran,Iraq,Israel,Jordan,Lebanon,Oman,Palestine,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Turkey, andYemen. It is considered a form ofarea studies, taking an overtly interdisciplinary approach to the study of a region. In this sense Middle Eastern studies is a far broader and less traditional field than classicalIslamic studies.
The subject was historically regarded as part ofOriental studies, which also includedEast Asian studies andEgyptology and other specialisms in the ancient civilizations of the region; the growth of the field of study in the West is treated at that article. Many academic faculties still cover both areas. Although some academic programs combine Middle Eastern studies with Islamic studies, based on the preponderance ofMuslims in the region (with Israel and Lebanon being the only exceptions), others maintain these areas of study as separate disciplines.
In 1978Edward Said, aPalestinian American professor ofcomparative literature atColumbia University, published his bookOrientalism, in which he accused earlier scholars of a "subtle and persistentEurocentric prejudice againstArab-Islamic peoples and their culture", claiming the bias amounted to a justification forimperialism. Western academics such asIrwin challenged Said's conclusions,[1] however the book became a standard text ofliterary theory andcultural studies.[2]
Following theSeptember 11 attacks, U.S. Middle Eastern studies programs were criticized as inattentive to issues ofIslamic terrorism. Israeli-American historianMartin Kramer published a 2001 book,Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America,[3] andWall Street Journal article claiming that Middle Eastern studies courses were "part of the problem, not its remedy."[citation needed] In aForeign Affairs review of the book,F. Gregory Gause said his analysis was, in part, "serious and substantive" but "far too often his valid points are overshadowed by academic score-settling and major inconsistencies."[4]
In 2002,American writerDaniel Pipes established an organisation calledCampus Watch to combat what he perceived to be serious problems within the discipline, including "analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students". He encouraged students to advise the organization of problems at their campuses. In turn critics within the discipline such asJohn Esposito accused him of "McCarthyism". Professors denounced by Pipes as "left-wing extremists" were often harassed with hate speech. Pipes was appointed to theUnited States Institute of Peace board of directors byGeorge W. Bush, despite protests from theArab American community.[5]
