Understanding Mass Violence in the Middle East

Laura Robson explains how mass violence came to be a constitutive element of the state and of political authority in the Middle East.

Laura Robson • April 01, 2022

Listening to the History of Islam in Europe

No history is as present in today's world as the history of Islam in Europe, argues Maurits Berger. He made a podcast about it.

Maurits Berger • February 17, 2022

Creating a Suitable Past: From the Turkish History Thesis to Ertuğrul

Erdoğan's frequent references to the past fit within an ongoing tradition in Turkish politics. Uğur Derin shows how history has been politicised in Turkey since the emergence of the Republic, focusing on Erdoğan's usage of a civilisational discourse that glorifies an Islamic and Ottoman past.

Uğur Derin • April 29, 2021

Dietary Laws and the Birth of Islam

Foodways are an integral part of identity, and the proto-Muslim community was no exception. Based on Quranic proclamations on dietary laws, Mehdy Shaddel shows that among the early opponents of Islam there probably were “gentile” adherents of “Jewish” food laws.

Mehdy Shaddel • October 14, 2020 • 1 comment

Playing the CyberSultan: Videogames and the Islamic Empire

Video games like the "Crusader Kings" and "Civilization" franchises are laboratories for experiencing complex and nuanced historical imaginaries. But even the most well-researched tend to perpetuate certain stereotypes about Islam and the Middle East...

Edmund Hayes • August 21, 2020

Politics of Heritage and Heritage of Politics: The Case of the Hagia Sophia

The conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque is nothing unusual for those who have been closely monitoring Turkey. Still, the knotted web of political conflicts and identity issues surrounding discussions of its role as heritage bespeaks the need to re-visit the concept of heritage itself.

Didem Yerli • July 27, 2020

"Treason": A Historical Perspective on Emerging Opposition against Erdoğan

Erdoğan's former ministers have founded new opposition parties. What do their stories tell us about Turkey’s political culture?

Uğur Derin • July 03, 2020

The Governor's Orders: Part One

What did the Arab conquests of Egypt mean for the average Egyptian villager? This story takes place a few years after 700, in the countryside of Middle Egypt. It’s based on a Coptic document that belonged to the Arab-Muslim government.

Eline Scheerlinck • June 20, 2019 • 1 comment

A Blind Dean of Arabic Literature: The Legacy of Taha Hussein

In 1979, millions of Egyptians huddled in front of their TVs to watch a series about the life of a blind man from a village in Upper Egypt who fought against poverty and ignorance to become a symbol of enlightenment in post-colonial Egypt: Taha Hussein.

Amany Soliman • April 11, 2018

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