Famine Studies is a well-established field that crosses the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology, geography, history, sociology, and economics. The existence of a vast literature attempting to define and theorize famine exemplifies a continued urgency in developing a theory that could transla..
Melanie S. Tanielian and the Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI)
Melanie S. Tanielian is associate professor in the History Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research and teaching interests include the social and cultural history of WWI in the Middle East, the emergence of religious philanthropic societies and their work in times of conflict, the history of German missionaries, social Protestantism and modern humanitarianism, disease, medicine, and hospitals. Her monograph The Charity of War: Famine, Humanitarian Aid and World War I in the Middle East tells how the Ottoman home front grappled with total war and how it sought to mitigate starvation and sickness through relief activities. It examines the wartime famine's reverberations throughout the community: in Beirut's municipal institutions, in its philanthropic and religious organizations, in international agencies, and in the homes of the city's residents. This local history reveals a dynamic politics of provisioning that was central to civilian experiences in the war, as well as to the Middle Eastern political landscape that emerged post-war. By tracing these responses to the conflict, it demonstrates World War I's immediacy far from the European trenches, in a place where war was a socio-economic and political process rather than a military event.
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
Sherene Seikaly, 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