Middle East Studies: International Perspectives on the State of the Art

A cross-national survey volume examining the condition of Middle East studies in nine major countries across three continents. Designed as a state-of-the-art assessment of the field, the book also explores the institutional bases of Middle East studies across cultural and ideological boundaries. The contributors identify a number of emerging trends in Middle East studies, particularly a new emphasis on relevance which has shifted research approaches away from the exotic peoples and places perspectives of the colonial and postcolonial world view to the problem-oriented perspectives that characterize current efforts to conduct policy relevant research.