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The Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Research Group aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars and students at the University of Alberta who are interested in the critical study of social, cultural, historical, religious and political themes related to the Middle East, Islam, and Muslim communities. The primary goals include raising awareness of the importance of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies within the Faculty of Arts and the University of Alberta, creating more opportunities for students to learn about MEIS, mobilizing our resources within the Faculty of Arts and the communities, and establishing more regular ties and involvement between the University and the communities.

MEIS fosters an intellectual community on campus that applies a critical lens to the teaching and the study of related scholarship. We encourage the free flow of ideas, debates and research projects among this community. We hope this will promote a deeper understanding of pertinent issues regarding the history, culture and civilization, arts and literature, and domestic and international politics of the Middle East and the wider Islamic world through a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Announcements

Awards in Islamic, Muslim, and Middle East Studies 2026

Graduate students in the Faculty of Arts whose research projects are focused on socio-cultural, historical, religious and/or political issues in Muslim contexts are encouraged to apply. Read More

Iran: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Iran: Between a Rock and a Hard Place | This virtual panel will feature scholars of Iranian Studies and will take place on Friday, February 6, at 6:00 PM | For registration visit the page Read More

Graduate Student Virtual Symposium 2026

Knowledge, Power, and Resistance: Reimagining Critical Muslim and Middle Eastern Studies in an Age of Genocide, Populism, Authoritarianism, and Neoliberalism | University of Alberta | May 15, 2026 Read More

I'm a PhD Candidate in sociocultural anthropology at the University of Alberta, honored as a Killam Scholar. My focus is on death studies in Iran, exploring themes like space, art, rituals, and material culture. As Iran's ambassador to the Association for the Study of Death and Society, I try to globalize discussions on death in Iranian contexts. Currently, I'm researching the agency of dead bodies, challenging traditional views by emphasizing their inherent power and voice. This perspective sheds light on Iran's societal dynamics, contributing fresh insights to anthropology and the issue of unmarked graves in Canada.

Hajar Ghorbani, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology

"I propose to carry out ethnographic research to examine how explicit sexual expression overlaps with a notion of piety. Most studies examining the impact of online social networks on transforming religious communities and intimate relationships have treated these two as separate or and even antithetical. I intend to challenge dichotomies of modern discourse by examining the mutually transformative intersection of Islamic piety and public sexuality. I approach piety not as a static norm to be conformed to or avoided, but as something that people perform, rework, and reconfigure to present new phenomena in line with tradition despite apparent deviations."

Samira Torabi, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology

"My study investigates the racial and ethnic relations experienced by Muslim students in connection to the pressing issue of Islamophobia. It explores the lived experiences of Muslim students at the U of A, their academic freedom, ethnic relations, identity struggles, and responses to anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination. It also aims to give participating students a ‘voice’ by soliciting their policy recommendations to foster inclusivity and social justice."

Md Nazmul Arefin, PhD Student, Department of Sociology

"Home! A notion we all hold, yet its essence eludes definition, Especially for immigrants, who leave one home in pursuit of a better one.
After receiving my bachelor's in Architectural Engineering from the University of Guilan/Iran and my master's from the Polytechnic University of Milan/Italy in Architecture and Interiors, my personal odyssey as a Middle Eastern living in two continents and arriving at a third has led me to the Department of Anthropology at U of A. My studies here reside at the intersection of Architecture, Anthropology, Urban Sociology, and Human Geography. Peering beyond the surface, I seek to unravel the untold narratives of each immigrant that carry within them a spectacular epic. It is within the lines and among these stories that I wish to determine the meaning of home."

Darush Farrokh, PhD Student, Department of Anthropology

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ECMC Chair in Islamic Studies

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