Arab Studies Quarterly

Arab Studies Quarterly Arab Studies Quarterly is a peer-reviewed periodical focusing on Arab world affairs, scholarly analysis of Palestine Liberation Organization, and critical studies concerning Lebanon and Egypt. It publishes research that often intersects with examinations of United States foreign policy, United Nations resolutions, and regional developments in Syria, Iraq, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The journal functions within networks of scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and American University of Beirut.

History

Founded in 1979 by the Association of Arab American University Graduates, the journal emerged amid debates generated by the Camp David Accords, the aftermath of the Lebanon Civil War, and shifting alignments after the 1973 Arab–Israeli War. Early contributors included academics linked to University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, SOAS University of London, and advocates from organizations like Palestine Liberation Organization-aligned circles and Arab League observers. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the journal engaged with issues prompted by the Iran–Iraq War, the First Intifada, and the Gulf War (1990–91), shaping debates among scholars at Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, and Georgetown University. Editorial stewardship has coincided with panels and conferences at centers such as Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and symposia involving personnel from Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations.

Scope and Content

The journal covers political, historical, legal, and cultural studies pertaining to the Arab world, often publishing analyses of events like the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War, and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Articles examine diplomatic episodes involving actors such as Israel, United States, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and legal questions linked to instruments like UN Security Council Resolution 242 and treaties including the Camp David Accords. Contributions address social movements in locales such as Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and examine intellectual histories connected to figures like Edward Said, Naguib Mahfouz, and Anis Mansour. The journal includes book reviews and historiographical essays on works published by presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and Princeton University Press.

Editorial Structure and Publication

Published quarterly by the Association of Arab American University Graduates, the journal operates with an editorial board comprising scholars affiliated with University of Michigan, University of Toronto, McGill University, SOAS University of London, and University of Edinburgh. The peer-review process typically engages referees from departments at Columbia University, New York University, King's College London, and Tel Aviv University alongside independent researchers who have served on panels at institutions such as United Nations academic programs and think tanks like Chatham House. Special issues have been guest-edited in collaboration with centers such as The Middle East Institute and universities including American University, often aligning release schedules with conferences at venues like Arab Studies Institute and annual meetings of the Middle East Studies Association.

Indexing and Abstracting

The journal is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic services and databases that catalog periodicals covering regional studies and international affairs, where entries cross-reference journals published by houses like Brill Publishers, Taylor & Francis, SAGE Publications, and Wiley-Blackwell. Its presence in library catalogues at institutions such as Library of Congress, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and major research libraries supports discoverability for scholars researching topics connected to Palestine, Iraq War (2003–2011), and postcolonial studies linked to figures like Frantz Fanon and Edward Said.

Reception and Impact

Reception among academics has been mixed to favorable in specialist circles: historians at Columbia University and political scientists at Georgetown University have cited its articles in discussions of Israeli–Palestinian conflict and U.S. Middle East policy, while critiques have arisen from commentators associated with RAND Corporation and analysts at Atlantic Council. The journal has contributed to syllabus readings at universities including University of California, Los Angeles, Boston University, and University of Michigan and has informed reports produced by advocacy organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and NGOs focused on refugee issues in collaboration with agencies like UNRWA. Its role in shaping debates on topics like sovereignty in Western Sahara, sectarian dynamics in Bahrain, and transitional justice in Tunisia marks it as a continuing reference point for researchers across the Middle East scholarship landscape.

Category:Area studies journals