Overview

The Global Studies - Middle East & South Asia track explores the complex cultural, historical, literary, and political context of the Middle East and South Asia, marrying the depth of perspective gained from sustained attention to particular world areas (MESALC) with the Global Studies Program's distinctive attention to critical global inquiry.

Global Studies-Middle East and South Asia (GSMS) offers a unique perspective on what it means to be global citizens in the 21st century by taking a grounded position within the history, culture, language and politics of the Middle East (ME) and South Asia (SA) and marrying that with an attention to large-scale issues that face our globalizing world. This project attempts something of an inversion of the traditional dichotomy of EuroAmerica as the locus of knowledge production, and areas such as the ME and SA as the locations of “raw data.” As Jean and John Comaroff ask, “What if…in the present moment, it is the global south that affords privileged insight into the workings of the world at large?” (2012). Through privileging the scholarship of (at least one) of these world areas, the GSMS program aims to enable the students to engage with multiple world-views that may redefine how we understand what is global and how we should think about what are the key questions and challenges.

For an advising appointment with the Track Director, please click here: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/Advising@myuva.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/