Middle Eastern History

[MrDobalina]

So I'm pretty new to the grad school search. I want to get a doctorate in modern Middle Eastern history, with an emphasis on cultural and social history. What are the best programs in this field? I've heard NYU is supposed to be fantastic, but I don't know much else.

Thanks!

[nicacar]

So I'm pretty new to the grad school search. I want to get a doctorate in modern Middle Eastern history, with an emphasis on cultural and social history. What are the best programs in this field? I've heard NYU is supposed to be fantastic, but I don't know much else.

Thanks!

Great to know that you're into Middle Eastern history! I don't know of many History programs with a strong Middle East emphasis, but I can recommend several universities with Middle Eastern Studies departments that often work closely with faculty in history departments - NYU being one of them. You might also consider lesser known schools such as the University of Arizona and the University of Utah. Both of these schools offer great language training, if you don't already have it. Arizona, for example, offers Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, modern Turkish and Ottoman Turkish. There MA program is pretty good if you want to use it as a stepping stone into PhD programs in history. Also, there funding is pretty good. Utah, on the other hand, I've heard has bad funding, and actually got denied Title VI funding for FLAS fellowships this year - something to consider.

Big name schools to consider are definitely - Princeton, Chicago, NYU, Michigan, Columbia, Berkeley, and UCLA. What are your specific interests, and time periods? That might help you narrow down your choices. Anyways, best of luck!

[MrDobalina]

Great to know that you're into Middle Eastern history! I don't know of many History programs with a strong Middle East emphasis, but I can recommend several universities with Middle Eastern Studies departments that often work closely with faculty in history departments - NYU being one of them. You might also consider lesser known schools such as the University of Arizona and the University of Utah. Both of these schools offer great language training, if you don't already have it. Arizona, for example, offers Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, modern Turkish and Ottoman Turkish. There MA program is pretty good if you want to use it as a stepping stone into PhD programs in history. Also, there funding is pretty good. Utah, on the other hand, I've heard has bad funding, and actually got denied Title VI funding for FLAS fellowships this year - something to consider.

Big name schools to consider are definitely - Princeton, Chicago, NYU, Michigan, Columbia, Berkeley, and UCLA. What are your specific interests, and time periods? That might help you narrow down your choices. Anyways, best of luck!

Thanks for the advice!

[wannabee]

Are you still out there???

Take a look at the Stanford history department. Are you considering Middle Eastern or Near Eastern Studies Departments or only History, per se? (I know there are many people who say you should go for the discipline rather than area studies, but you get so many more faculty to choose from at Middle Eastern Studies Programs at places like Arizona and Columbia.) This is similar to what the other poster said. Also look at the MA in Middle Eastern Studies at UT Austin.

Edited September 24, 2010 by cami215

[wannabee]

Nothing like double posting and you may be long gone! Ifyou are there, could you tell me more about NYU?

I looked on the website and found just two profs who are dealing with the Middle East. One is Zvi Ben-Dor Benite. He is described as "Associate Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies". However, these are his listed research interests: World history; Chinese History; Islam in Asia; Religious Minorities in World History; Exile; Diaspora and Historiography; Comparative Human Rights; Chinese Muslim history. There is also Leslie Peirce

Silver Professor; Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Her interests are early modern Ottoman history.

The problem is that I am looking for the modern middle east, with emphasis on social or political development, possibly some intellectual history. (I am also considering Poli Sci)

So far, Stanford and Princeton look good, but I need a wider range of schools. Anyone with any information or ideas?

[MrDobalina]

Nothing like double posting and you may be long gone! Ifyou are there, could you tell me more about NYU?

I looked on the website and found just two profs who are dealing with the Middle East. One is Zvi Ben-Dor Benite. He is described as "Associate Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies". However, these are his listed research interests: World history; Chinese History; Islam in Asia; Religious Minorities in World History; Exile; Diaspora and Historiography; Comparative Human Rights; Chinese Muslim history. There is also Leslie Peirce

Silver Professor; Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Her interests are early modern Ottoman history.

The problem is that I am looking for the modern middle east, with emphasis on social or political development, possibly some intellectual history. (I am also considering Poli Sci)

So far, Stanford and Princeton look good, but I need a wider range of schools. Anyone with any information or ideas?

There aren't many modern Middle East people at NYU who are strictly in the history department; however, there's a ton of faculty from other departments who work with history students as well. Khaled Fahmy and Zackary Lockman look especially interesting.

Good to know there's another social/intellectual-history-of-the-Modern-Middle-East person out there. Doesn't seem like there are too many of us.

[wannabee]

There aren't many modern Middle East people at NYU who are strictly in the history department; however, there's a ton of faculty from other departments who work with history students as well. Khaled Fahmy and Zackary Lockman look especially interesting.

Good to know there's another social/intellectual-history-of-the-Modern-Middle-East person out there. Doesn't seem like there are too many of us.

Thanks for the suggestion. I know some departments are comfortable with using outside profs, and others less so. Glad to hear that NYU allows students to do this. I'll look into this.