Research and Teaching in the Middle East

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 491, Issue 1, p. 126-133

Abstract

Educational institutions and scholars in the Middle East and South Asia continue to produce world-class research despite the burdens imposed by the great number of students, inadequate libraries, and limited supportive institutional infrastructure. The challenges facing the foreign scholar are not dissimilar to those of the host-country academic with the exception of the entry formalities, including both the general permission to enter a country and specific permissions for access to particular libraries or sites. The long-term relationship between the guest and the host-country scholar needs to be enhanced by the development of long-term U.S.-overseas institutional relationships and of mechanisms that promote a sustained exchange of scholarship. The professional quality and commitment of the guest researcher or lecturer will be the determining factor of the success of an individual experience and of the idea of mutual understanding through educational exchange.