Center for Contemporary Arab Studies

Our thoughts are with the victims of the attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego and their families.

From Rhetoric to Violence: Statement on the attack against the Islamic Center of San Diego - Bridge Initiative We are deeply saddened and outraged by the horrific hate crime attack targeting the Islamic Center of San Diego, a place of worship and a school where children were present. This attack did not occur in a vacuum. It has taken place against a backdrop of escalating, anti-Muslim rhetoric, in which inf...

Congratulations to the MAAS Class of 2026!!
We are so pleased to congratulate this year’s graduates of the Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS) program! The MAAS Class of 2026 is a diverse group, with students coming from across the United States and more than half joining us from other countries, including Palestine, the UK, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Jordan, and Lebanon.

This year’s graduates include: Ahmed Saidam, Aidan Lankler, Aimée Lister, Amina Darabie, Batoul Matar, Chloe Daikh, Felix Matheson, Gabriela Saba, Hanane Idihoum, Ian DeHaven, Jasper Hunsinger, Khadija Alkayyoomi, Kira Nygren, Lauren Burns, Layth Malhis, Liz Walker, Lubab Al Kayed, Marwa Elessawy, Michel Sindaha, Mohammad El Sahili, Mohammed Saleh, Rania Abu Taima, Ruqaiyah Damrah, Salmah Elmasry, Sarah Salah, Shauna McLean, Zaina Khalil, Zane Stull.

Scroll for a few pics from Saturday's commencement.

Looking ahead to the future of CCAS | School of Foreign Service | Georgetown As the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) marks its 50th anniversary, members of the center’s faculty reflect on the ideas that have shaped CCAS since 1975—and the work still ahead.

Wednesday, April 8: Join CCAS, ACMCU, the African Studies Program, Georgetown University Qatar, and the Department of Theology & Religious Studies for a lecture with Frances S. Hasso, Professor, Department of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies.

In 2022, Frances Hasso published Buried in the Red Dirt: Race, Reproduction and Death in Modern Palestine (Cambridge University Press), “a story of life, death, reproduction and missing bodies and experiences during and since the British colonial period in Palestine.” In her talk, she will revisit arguments from the book in light of the Gaza Genocide by examining Israeli demographic anxieties.

This event is part of the 2025-2026 Gaza Lecture Series.

Palestinian Reproduction, Regeneration, and Collective Futurity In/After Genocide Join CCAS, ACMCU, the African Studies Program, Georgetown University Qatar, and the Department of Theology & Religious Studies for a lecture wi...

In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies invites you to An Evening with Mo Amer and Ayman Mohyeldin on Wednesday, April 22. Please join us in celebrating 50 years of Arab studies at Georgetown with these very special guests! Advance registration is highly recommended.

An Evening with...Mo Amer and Ayman Mohyeldin In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies invites you to An Evening with...Mo Amer and Ayman Mohyeldin!

Join CCAS on Wednesday, April 1 for a book talk with Rana Khoury, Assistant Professor of Political Science (University of Illinois), featuring her newly published book Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria’s War. Her talk will be moderated by Killian Clarke, Assistant Professor at CCAS.

Book Talk | Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria’s War Join CCAS for a book talk with Rana Khoury, Assistant Professor of Political Science (University of Illinois), featuring her newly published book C...

Wonderful article highlighting CCAS's rich history of knowledge production and engagement with the region.

Professors Fida Adely, Joseph Sassoon and Rochelle Davis join Professor Emerita Judith Tucker and former CCAS staff member Zeina Azzam in reflecting on 50 years at CCAS, emphasizing its unique community, resources and programming. They highlight the center's focus on Arabic language, public education, Arab culture, and its navigation of complex issues like the aftermath of 9/11 and women in the Arab world.

Faculty reflect on 50 years of academic life at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies | School of Foreign Service | Georgetown “I've been in CCAS for over 20 years and the thing I'm most proud of is how we build community among our students, staff, faculty and followers to welcome difference, learn broadly and in depth and support each other,” says Professor Rochelle Davis, Sultanate of Oman Chair and associate professo...

Join us Tuesday, March 24 for "The US-Israeli War on Iran: Perspectives from the Region."

The US-Israel war on Iran has, once again, plunged the Middle East into war. Echoes of the 2003 war in Iraq abound. As the conflict spins out of control, this open forum seeks to provide a critical analysis of this topic. What themes have been missing in the mainstream media coverage of this war? What aspects of this story are absent in the American foreign policy debate?

Crucially, what can US citizens do to halt the expansion of this war? Our Georgetown faculty panel will critically answer these questions during this open forum.

The US-Israeli War on Iran: Perspectives from the Region The Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, in partnership with the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, is hosting a faculty panel fo...