Selecting ten books that might be considered “essential readings” in English on a traditionnally Arabophone or Francophone country is by necessity an arbitrary exercise. Beyond the question of language, “essential” in what field and for what general purpose? Is it even possible to qualify one sp..

Abdeslam M. Maghraoui and Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI)
Dr. MaAbdeslam Maghraoui teaches Middle East politics at Duke University. His research focuses broadly on the interplay between politics and culture in the context of colonial and authoritarian domination. He studies how language, social norms, and religion disrupt or reinforce domination in state-society relations and micro social interactions.
MESPI is a curated interactive platform for ME studies resources specifically tailored for the needs of teachers, researchers, and students. It will be the one-stop shop for course design on the macro level, lesson planning on the micro level, and for scholarship vis-a-vis specific topics, countries, and disciplines. Contact us at info@ArabStudiesInstitute.org.
MESPI Core Team
Bassam Haddad, Co-Director
Ziad Abu-Rish, Co-Director
Nadya Sbaiti, NEWTON Coordinator
Rosie Bsheer, MESPI Editor
Mekarem Eljamal, MESPI Associate Editor
Jacob Bessen, Essential Readings Coordinator
Maddie Vagadori, MESPI Website Coordinator
Shakeela Omar, Peer-Review Articles Review Coordinator
Claire Christensen, Peer-Review Articles Review Co-Coordinator
Jonathan Adler, Essential Texts Coordinator
Willa Hart, Peer-Review Articles Review Co-Coordinator
Michael Haddad, Media Roundups Coordinator
Kylie Broderick, ASI Liaison