Centers & Programs

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) was founded in 1954 for the purpose of furthering the study of the Middle East at Harvard University. This mandate features a primary emphasis on the centuries since the rise of Islam and a concern with the wider Islamic world. CMES serves Harvard as the coor¬dinating body and the primary source of support for the various courses and academic programs that cover the vast region from Morocco and North Africa to Turkey and Iran.

The Center is home to key faculty related to Middle Eastern Studies, including the Arabic Program, Turkish Studies, the Moroccan Studies Program, several ongoing research projects, and a Visiting Scholar program that brings scholars from around the world. The range of interests of our faculty, students, associates, and visiting scholars is rich, varied, and crosses multiple disciplines.

For more information, visit http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu

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The Outreach Center at CMES

The Outreach Center supports educators, faculty, and the general public on topics related to the Middle East region and Islam. It offers the following services:

• Lending library and work space for educators
• Prepared curriculum resources such as Celebrating Ramadan and Celebrating Nowruz
• Professional development programs for PDP and graduate credit
• Custom programs that bring the Middle East region and Islam to your school and community
The Outreach Center is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information, visit http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/outreach

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Islam in the West at CMES

Western Europe and North America are home to rapidly expanding Muslim minorities, increasing the need for data on the relationship between Islam and democracy. The Islam in the West Program aims to contribute to the global debate on Islam through an in-depth examination of the religious, political, and social situations of American and European Muslims, and by illuminating the relationships of these communities with the Muslim world at large. The program is a collaboration between the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Center for European Studies, the Anthropology Department, the Government Department, the Divinity School, the Prince Bin Talal Program of Islamic Studies, and the Islamic Legal Studies Program of the Harvard Law School. It is also funded by the MacArthur and Carnegie Foundations.

For more information, visit http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/research/iw

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Arabic and Islamic Studies - Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

The Department prides itself on its strength in the classical medieval period, although it does offer one modern field as well. The goal of Arabic and Islamic studies is to give an integral view of Islamic culture in pre-modern times.

For more information, visit www.fas.harvard.edu/~nelc/arab_islam.html

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 Prince AlWaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program

The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program seeks to bridge gaps in understanding between East and West and ensure that Harvard’s capacity in Islamic Studies matches more fully the depth of Islam’s rich historical and geographically diverse cultures.

By bringing together faculty, students, and researchers from across the University, the Program builds on Harvard’s strong commitment to the study of the religious traditions of the world.

For more information, visit www.islamicstudies.harvard.edu

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 Harvard Law School's Islamic Legal Studies Program

Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Program (ILSP), established in 1991, is a research program that seeks to advance knowledge and understanding of Islamic law. As stated in its statement of objectives (incorporated into the terms of its major grants), the Program is dedicated to achieving excellence in the study of Islamic law through objective and comparative methods. It aims to foster an atmosphere of open inquiry that embraces many perspectives: Muslim and non-Muslim, scholar and practitioner, contemporary and classical, Sunni and Shi’i, law and religion. It seeks to promote appreciation of Islamic law as one of the world’s major legal systems.

For more information, visit www.law.harvard.edu/programs/ilsp

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Middle East Initiative

In October 1998, Dean Joseph S. Nye, Jr. of the John F. Kennedy School of Government established the Middle East Initiative in order to deepen and strengthen the Kennedy School’s relationship with the governments and peoples of the Middle East. Since that time, under the Faculty Chairmanship first of Ambassador Robert D. Blackwill, and currently Dr. John P. White, the Initiative has undertaken a series of projects to work closely with the region’s political and business leaders to strengthen democratic governance and seek solutions to public policy problems in the Middle East. The Initiative has likewise engaged in community outreach to create the space for conversation and the sharing of knowledge and experiences concerning the region.

For more information, visit www.hks.harvard.edu/middleeast/index.html

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The Dubai Initiative
 

The Dubai Initiative is assisting the government of Dubai to establish the Dubai School of Government (DSG) as an academic, research, and outreach institution in public policy, administration, and management, for the Middle East. The primary objective of the Initiative is to bridge the expertise and resources of the John F. Kennedy School of Government/Harvard University with the Dubai School of Government and enable the exchange of students, scholars, knowledge, and resources between the two institutions in the areas of governance, political science, economics, energy, security, gender, and foreign relations in the Middle East.

For more information, visit http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/project/53/dubai_initiative.html

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Agha Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

Based at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) is dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and conservation—and the application of that knowledge to contemporary design projects.

The goals of the program are to improve the teaching of Islamic art and architecture - to promote excellence in advanced research - to enhance the understanding of Islamic architecture, urbanism, and visual culture in light of contemporary theoretical, historical, critical, and developmental issues—and to increase the visibility of Islamic cultural heritage in the modern Muslim world. Established in 1979, AKPIAis supported by an endowment from His Highness the Aga Khan. AKPIA’s faculty, students, and alumni have played a substantial role in advancing the practice, analysis, and understanding of Islamic architecture as a discipline and cultural force.

For more information, visit www.fas.harvard.edu/~agakhan

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Harvard Medical School Dubai Center

The Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research has been established to foster the professional development of physicians, nurses, research scientists, and allied health professionals in the Gulf Region. Launched in 2004 through a joint effort by then-Harvard Medical International (now Partners Harvard Medical Interna¬tional) and Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), HMSDCis part of the Government of Dubai’s mission to develop DHCCinto a center of excellence for healthcare delivery, medical education, and research.

For more information, visit www.hmsdc.hms.harvard.edu

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The Dubai Harvard Medical Research

The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research was created to help drive a resurgence in scientific inquiry and discovery in the Middle East, and lead to innovations that will address the region’s most pressing health problems.

The Foundation aims to support cutting-edge collaborative research, as well as establish sustainable research centers and education programs focused on creating innovations in medical practice. Through these activities, the Foundation will enable the Gulf Region’s best minds to help usher in a new era of scientific promise, while contributing to advances that will ease the suffering caused by disease.

The Foundation is creating a permanent endowment and the infrastructure within Harvard University to advance knowledge by:

• Building human capital—medical and scientific leaders for Dubai, the UAE, and the Gulf Region
• Funding Dubai Harvard Foundation Research Centers directed at priority disease areas for the region
• Supporting collaborative research between Harvard Medical School Research Centers and labs in the region that will build sustainable research programs in the Middle East
• Developing a sustainable infrastructure in Dubai for an international exchange of scholars

For more information, visit http://dhfmr.hms.harvard.edu

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Middle Eastern Collection - Harvard Libraries

The Middle Eastern Division collects in great depth materials from the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus and from various émigré communities from these areas scattered throughout the world. These materials in the languages of these areas and in languages used by émigré communities include books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, posters, broadsides, photographs, microforms, sound recordings, videotapes, and electronic databases. The collection is further supported by an extensive collection of materials published about the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus outside of these geographic areas.

For more information, visit http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/widener/collections/mideast.html

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The Abraham Path Initiative

Type the text here The Abraham Path is a route of cultural tourism that retraces the journey made by Abraham (Ibrahim) through the heart of the Middle East some four thousand years ago. Three and a half billion people—over half the human family—trace their history or faith back to Abraham, considered the father of monotheism. The Abraham Path honors this shared cultural heritage by linking together into a single itinerary of outstanding interest and beauty the ancient sites associated with Abraham and his family.

The Abraham Path will serve as:

• An intercultural meeting place, inspiring respect and understanding among people, young and old, around the world
• An economic catalyst, creating sustainable development through responsible tourism
• A positive media focus for articles and films, highlighting the unique heritage and hospitality of the region.

HAAA Executive Board Member Deena Shakir (College ’08) received a fellowship from the Global Negotiations Initiative to participate in the inaugural Palestine segment of the Abraham Path Initiative in July 2008.
• For more information, visit www.abrahampath.org