Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies research
With expertise in the cultures and languages and of the Middle East, beyond Arabic, the department is among the leading units of its kind in the country.
The John Rylands Library houses a notable collection of more than 900 Arabic manuscripts on a wide variety of subjects, many being rare and unique, and covering roughly 1,000 years.
The University of Manchester boasts a breadth of research achievement that is spread across more distinct discipline areas than any other UK institution. Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at Manchester offers a wide-range of opportunities in research and advanced training in the history, languages, religious traditions and politics of the Middle East.
The University of Manchester boasts a breadth of research achievement spread across more distinct discipline areas than any other UK institution and Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies offers exceptionally wide-ranging opportunities for research and advanced training in the history, languages, religious traditions and politics of the Middle East.
Staff research interests include modern Islamic thought, the role of women in the Middle East and North Africa, Israel/Palestine politics, Modern Arabic Literature, Cinema and Culture in the Middle East and North Africa, 20th century relations between Europe and the Arab Middle East, and classical Islamic history, among others.
Some of Manchester's experts in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies contribute to the public debate on contemporary cultural-religious issues in the UK, or are part of the Middle Eastern discourses on the preservation of national heritages, gender roles or the relations between East and West.
Manchester is also the editorial home of the internationally renowned academic periodical Journal of Semitic Studies, which recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
Centres, networks and clusters
- Centre for Jewish Studies
- Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World