Middle Eastern studies within African universities, both public and private, have increasing academic, policy, and research significance. Africa and the Middle East share centuries of intertwined and interconnected history, from trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship to modern political and economic cooperation.
Nevertheless, African higher education has often treated “Middle Eastern Studies” (MES) as peripheral, despite its clear relevance to the continent’s historical, cultural and geopolitical realities.
This piece argues that MES is academically relevant for African universities because it deepens historical understanding, enhances linguistic and religious literacy, informs development and diplomacy, and fosters interdisciplinary research that links Africa to the wider world.
Key Takeaways
Historical and Cultural Foundations
Africa’s relations with the Middle East predate the Western imperial and colonial eras. Gold trade between the two regions, the Arab expansion into North Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunis, Mauritania), Islamic learning centres of scholarship in Timbuktu, Mali Empire, and Cairo, and the spread of Arabic as a language of religion and commerce are enduring examples of shared heritage (Hassan, 2019).
These interactions fostered a cultural synthesis, as evident in language, art, and legal traditions. According to Hatem (2018), understanding Africa’s sociopolitical evolution requires examining its Middle Eastern connections, as many African institutions have been influenced by Islamic and Arab governance models.
Therefore, integrating MES into African curricula provides students with analytical tools to study the region’s transregional dynamics and cultural continuity. In modern times, the historical and political ties between Africa and the Middle East have increasingly taken on more economic, diplomatic, and commercial directions.
Geopolitical and Economic Relevance
The geopolitical and economic relations between Africa and the Middle East underscore the practical significance of Middle Eastern study. Gulf states have become major investors in Africa (Cheru & Obi, 2020). Moreover, migration flows, remittances from the Middle East, mainly the Gulf states, and labour exchanges between the region and African countries demand scholarly attention and academic consideration.
MES-trained experts can analyse these patterns, contributing to policy development in migration, diplomacy, and regional cooperation. According to Ibrahim (2022), African governments increasingly rely on advisors familiar with Middle Eastern politics and finance, highlighting the demand for MES expertise in governance and diplomacy in Africa.
Development and Higher Education Partnerships
In academia and development, Middle Eastern countries have provided hundreds of scholarships and financed educational endowment projects in Africa through their central governments and NGOs. Nevertheless, there is a gap in terms of academic partnerships between African universities and their Middle Eastern counterparts in conducting scientific, development, and policy research.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC), Jordan, and others could be significant academic partners to accelerate research in various fields: science, international relations, comparative religion, interfaith dialogue, and language (El-Rayes, 2021). If properly integrated, such collaborations can enhance research capacity and promote academic autonomy.
African universities stand to benefit from these relationships by developing joint degree programs and research initiatives that examine shared challenges, such as climate change, energy transition, and religious education (Hassan, 2019). Thus, the MES offers an institutional pathway for African universities to engage in international academic cooperation.
Intellectual and Interdisciplinary Benefits
Middle Eastern Studies also advances theoretical and interdisciplinary research. It bridges history, political science, religious studies, and economics, encouraging comparative approaches to issues such as governance, post-colonialism, and modernisation (Hatem, 2018).
By connecting African and Middle Eastern perspectives, the two can challenge neocolonial paradigms and produce scholarship that is deeply rooted and grounded in the cooperation of the Global South. MES enriches the intellectual capacity and environment of African academia by nurturing research perspectives and regional collaboration and partnerships.
Linguistic, Civilizational and Religious Literacy
Arabic and other broader Middle Eastern languages, such as Hebrew and Turkish, hold enormous value for African scholars. The Arabic language, for instance, is not only a medium of Islamic learning but also a key to accessing a vast collection of historical and legal sources and materials (Abdalla 2020).
Furthermore, a structured study of Islamic thought within MES frameworks promotes a nuanced understanding of religion in African societies, moving beyond narrow or externally defined narratives. For example, the incorporation of comparative laws, religions, and civilisations in African tertiary institutions would contribute to interfaith dialogue, intellectual pluralism, and heterogeneity (Mahmoud, 2021).
Thus, MES enhances both academic profundity and multicultural adaptability among African scholars and public intellectuals in the West.
Challenges and the Way Forward
Despite its importance, MES faces several hitches in African universities, ranging from limited funding, scarcity of qualified faculty and experts in Middle Eastern Studies, and lack of language training, mainly Arabic, which remain key constraints (Abdalla, 2020).
Political sensitivities and ideological prejudices can also hamper open academic exchanges between African academics and academic institutions and their Middle Eastern counterparts. However, to overcome these barriers, higher education institutions and governments should invest in faculty development, promote interdisciplinary research, and prioritise regional collaboration with Middle Eastern academic centres.
Building autonomous MES programs will ensure that African perspectives shape the study of regional relations, rather than merely consuming external narratives.
Conclusion
The academic importance of Middle Eastern Studies in African universities is diverse, covering history, culture, economics, politics, diplomacy, comparative laws, civilisations, and religions. MES offers African scholars and academics tools to examine their societies’ deep links with the Middle East, boost academic and pedagogic independence, and aid in effective policy making.
As Africa’s engagement with the Middle East grows in trade, diplomacy, development cooperation, FDIs, and the influx of African students to Middle Eastern Universities, the demand for scholarly expertise increases. Institutes of Higher Learning in Africa that incorporate MES into their courses will not only broaden their academic repository and intellectual scope but also establish themselves as core contributors to global knowledge-sharing and diplomacy.
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References
Abdalla, M. (2020). Arabic language education and Islamic studies in African universities: Challenges and prospects. Journal of African Higher Education, 8(2), 45–58.
Cheru, F., & Obi, C. (2020). The rise of the Gulf–Africa nexus: Economic diplomacy and development partnerships. African Affairs, 119(476), 289–310. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adaa015
El-Rayes, T. (2021). Educational diplomacy and Gulf engagement with Africa: A new era of transregional collaboration. Middle East Policy, 28(3), 67–83.
Hassan, S. (2019). Islamic civilization and Africa: A shared history of knowledge and exchange. African Studies Review, 62(4), 789–804.
Hatem, M. (2018). Why and how should Middle East and African studies be connected? International Journal of Middle East Studies, 50(2), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743818000105
Ibrahim, A. (2022). Africa–Middle East relations in the twenty-first century: Migration, security, and diplomacy. Journal of Global Policy Studies, 14(1), 112–129.
Mahmoud, N. (2021). Islamic scholarship and pluralism in African universities. Journal of Religion and Society in Africa, 9(1), 54–70.
