Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies

Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
Name	Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
Established	1988
Type	Research institute
City	Exeter
Country	England
Campus	Streatham

Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies

The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is a research and teaching institute located in Exeter, England, associated with the University of Exeter, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Middle East Centre, and comparable centres such as the Centre for Islamic Studies at Cambridge, the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. It operates at the intersection of Middle Eastern studies, North African studies, and Islamic studies while engaging with scholars and institutions including the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the European Union, and the British Council.

History

Founded in 1988 during a period of expansion in area studies across UK universities, the Institute drew on predecessors in Arabic and Islamic scholarship established at Exeter and connected with networks such as the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Middle East Centre, the Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies, and the Centre for Arabic Studies at Oxford. Early directors and affiliated scholars engaged with figures and institutions like Bernard Lewis, Albert Hourani, Edward Said, Ann Lambton, and Martin Lings, and contributed to comparative projects with the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Wellcome Trust. The Institute developed links with regional partners including the American University of Beirut, Cairo University, the Lebanese American University, King Saud University, Al-Azhar University, the University of Jordan, and the University of Tunis. Over successive funding cycles it expanded its profile through collaborations with the European Research Council, the British Council, the Carnegie Middle East Center, and international libraries such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Academic Programs and Research

The Institute offers postgraduate programs including MA and PhD degrees in Arab Studies, Islamic Studies, Middle East Studies, Arabic Language, and Migration Studies and hosts research clusters on topics linked to the Middle East, North Africa, and Muslim societies. Teaching and research draw on comparative scholarship associated with journals and projects such as the International Journal of Middle East Studies, the Journal of Islamic Studies, the Middle East Journal, Islamic Law and Society, and British Academy-funded projects. Research themes span modern Arabic literature and cultural production linked to Cairo’s Nahda, Syrian intellectual histories connected to Damascus, Iraqi archival studies associated with Baghdad, Maghrebi politics tied to Rabat and Algiers, and Gulf studies referencing Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, while engaging with international funders such as the European Union Horizon programmes, the British Academy, and the Leverhulme Trust.

Departments and Centres

The Institute comprises departmental groupings and research centres that collaborate with units at the University of Exeter and external bodies like the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the Centre for Islamic Studies at Cambridge, the Middle East Institute, and the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. Internal centres and networks address Arabic language provision, Islamic studies, Middle East politics, gender and society, migration and diaspora studies, and digital humanities projects tied to archival collections such as the British Library’s Middle East collections, the National Archives, and the Al-Furqan Foundation holdings. Affiliations extend to cultural institutions including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Library.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff include historians, linguists, literary scholars, political scientists, anthropologists, and theologians who maintain research profiles intersecting with named scholars and institutions such as Edward Said, Bernard Lewis, Albert Hourani, Ann Lambton, Aziz al-Azmeh, Fatema Mernissi, Tariq Ramadan, and Leila Ahmed. Staff participate in cross-institutional networks with the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, the European Research Council, and research centres at Durham University, King’s College London, University College London, and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Visiting fellows and postdoctoral researchers have come from the American University of Beirut, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, SOAS, and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.

Student Life and Admissions

Students matriculate from a global cohort including applicants from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States, Canada, and European countries. Admissions criteria reflect standards comparable to postgraduate programs at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the University of Edinburgh, and scholarships have been supported by organizations such as the British Council, the Chevening programme, the Fulbright Commission, the British Academy, and the Erasmus+ scheme. Student life includes collaborations with cultural societies like the Arab Society, the Islamic Society, debating chambers linked to the Oxford Union model, language tandems with the Arabic Language Centre, and internships with NGOs and institutions such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Rescue Committee, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Partnerships and Outreach

The Institute maintains partnerships with universities and research centres including the American University of Beirut, Cairo University, Al-Azhar University, the University of Jordan, King’s College London, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the Centre for Islamic Studies at Cambridge, the British Council, the European Union, UNESCO, and regional think tanks such as the Carnegie Middle East Center, Chatham House, and the Brookings Doha Center. Outreach includes public lectures, specialist training for diplomats and journalists, policy briefings for ministries and parliaments, and collaborative projects with museums and libraries such as the British Museum and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Publications and Conferences

The Institute hosts annual conferences and workshops and produces working papers, monographs, edited volumes, and contributions to journals like the International Journal of Middle East Studies, the Journal of Islamic Studies, Middle East Policy, and Islamic Law and Society. Its events feature panels with scholars and practitioners from institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, SOAS, King’s College London, the British Academy, the European Research Council, and UNESCO, and its publication partners include university presses with ties to Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Yale, and Princeton.

Category:University of Exeter establishments