The Meeting Place of British Middle East Studies

The young scholars working in Middle East Studies in Great Britain are as diverse as the field itself. This volume brings together ten of these young men and women, all researchers at the cutting edge of their respective fields, which range from medieval literature to contemporary immigration policy. Each work has been selected not only for its empirical contribution but also for its methodology and for its relevance for general readers as well as academics.The history and practice of Middle East Studies as a whole is placed in perspective by the introduction, which also unites the overarching themes found in these chapters. It also looks at the formation, crises, and reforms in Area Studies, which directly impact the circumstances in which all of these scholars are working today. The particular, and peculiar, history of each field is highlighted by the authors, who carefully place their own respective research in larger contexts. Each introduction at once reveals the forces that have shaped the discipline-whether the study of politics, history, law, literature, art or theology-in the 20th century and considers these forces in terms of the larger trends and ideas that have formed, and continue to form, Middle East Studies as a whole. This book, as timely as it is topical, will prove an indispensable source for readers of all backgrounds.