Welcome to CCAS

The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies is the only academic center in the United States focusing exclusively on the Arab world, and it has been doing so with distinction since 1975.

Learn More About CCAS

Learn about MAAS

The Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS) offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of the region.

Attend an Event

CCAS hosts a rich calendar of public lectures, film screenings, and cultural events.

Explore Education Outreach

CCAS provides workshops, curriculum support, and other resources on the MENA for K-14 educators.

CCAS News

MAAS student writes dispatch from NYC Disability Pride Parade

July 22, 2019

Jinseul Jun, who is interning with HRW’s Disability Rights Division, shares her experiences in the hopes of bringing visibility to local and global movements promoting the rights of people with disabilities.

CCAS is on Instagram!

July 11, 2019

Check out our new Instagram page to see what the Center and our students are up to this summer and to hear from our diverse alumni community.

By Mohammad Imad Mahhouk. This work by Mahhouk is based on a well-known line by Tunisian poet Abul-Qasim Al-Shabbi: “Should the people one day truly aspire to life, then fate must answer their call.” Mahhouk says this verse became a source of great hope with the start of the Arab uprisings. Through the shapes and colors of this piece, he has tried to capture that hope--a hope he believes can overcome any oppression.

The Foreign Relations of Islamist Movements

June 15, 2019

Prof. Abdullah Al-Arian discusses how Islamist movements have historically viewed diplomacy as important to their activist missions.

Q&A with Her Excellency Hunaina Al Mughairy

June 11, 2019

Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Al Mughairy has served as the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States since 2005.

Rachel Gandin Mark traveling in Mexico City on an American Film Showcase diplomacy program.

Diplomacy and the Art of Storytelling

June 9, 2019

A MAAS grad’s work at the intersection of diplomacy and cinematic arts is shaping American narratives and empowering storytellers around the globe.

Ambassador ONG Keng Yong speaking with diplomats based in Singapore.

Reflections from Singapore

June 6, 2019

Ambassador ONG Keng Yong, who graduated from MAAS in 1983, remembers his time in Washington and sheds light on Singapore’s “price taker” approach to foreign policy.