Syracuse University: Middle East = Arabic

Syracuse University is looking for an assistant professor of history who can teach Middle East history--if he’s a specialist in Arabic history and language. In an advertisement in Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription), Syracuse makes it clear that, for them, “Middle East” is synonymous with Arabic-speakers.

“The History Department in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship in the History of the Middle East, to begin in Fall 2007. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to research as well as to undergraduate and graduate education and needs to be fluent or near-fluent in Arabic. Ph.D. must be in hand at time of appointment.”

But if they’re looking for someone who can teach the history of the Middle East, why not accept applications from candidates who are fluent or near-fluent in any of the languages of the region: Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Kurdish, or Persian? Because, it seems, “Middle East” at Syracuse is synonymous with “Arab.”

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Winfield Myers

Winfield Myers is managing editor of the Middle East Forum and director of its Campus Watch project, which reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North American universities. He has taught world history and other topics at the University of Michigan, the University of Georgia, Tulane, and Xavier University of Louisiana. He was previously managing editor of The American Enterprise magazine and CEO of Democracy Project, Inc., which he co-founded. Mr. Myers has served as senior editor and communications director at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and is principal author and editor of a college guide, Choosing the Right College (1998, 2001). He was educated at the University of Georgia, Tulane, and the University of Michigan.