News

In Memoriam: Professor Baber Johansen

October 01, 2026

On September 29, 2026, Malika Zeghal, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor in Contemporary Islamic Thought and Life, and William A. Graham, Murray A. Albertson Research Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Emeritus, published a tribute to former CMES...

Fifteen Questions: Jessica Marglin on Jewish Studies, the Dudley Co-Op, and Campus Protest Culture

September 14, 2026

The Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations professor sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss what’s changed — and what hasn’t — on her return to the College 20 years after graduating. Read the Q&A in the Harvard Crimson's Fifteen Minutes.

Professor Walid Khalidi: A Reflection

May 29, 2026

On March 8, 2026, Walid Khalidi died at the age of 100, and with his death we have lost one of the foremost scholars of modern Middle Eastern history. Throughout his century of life—and for over 80 consistent years of work—Professor Khalidi, who was a...

Congratulations, 2025-26 CMES Graduates!

May 29, 2026

CMES is pleased to congratulate this year's graduating students in our AM and joint PhD programs. AM Graduates Arda Aslan Ida Beckett—Thesis: "'They Burnt My Beloved as If He Were Wood': The Origins, Treatment, and Entangled Characters of Coffee and...

Call for "Historical Truth" in Our Narrative of Nazi Defeat

April 29, 2026

On April 23, Jochen Hellbeck, Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University, delivered the 2026 Hilda B. Silverman Memorial Lecture at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. In a revisionist history of WWII, Hellbeck argues that it was not the...

Adam Mestyan Selected a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow

April 16, 2026

Adam Mestyan, Ford Foundation Professor of Middle Eastern Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, has been selected by The Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation as a Fellow in the 101st class...

Remembering Baber Johansen, Renowned Scholar of Islamic Law at Harvard Divinity School

March 23, 2026

Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at Harvard Divinity School (HDS) and former Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, passed away in late January 2026. Johansen’s scholarship transformed the study of Islamic jurisprudence...

Walid Khalidi, Scholar Called Father of Palestinian Studies, Dies at 100

March 12, 2026

Long-time CMES Fellow Walid Khalidi died March 8 at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a historian and diplomat, Khalidi gave intellectual shape to his people and made sure that they played a role in negotiating their future. Read about Khalidi's...

In Memoriam: András Riedlmayer (1947-2026)

February 13, 2026

It is with profound sadness that I must report the passing, on February 9, of András Riedlmayer, who, starting in 1985, served for thirty-five years as the Bibliographer and Director at the Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic...

Roy Parviz Mottahedeh, 84: Memorial Minute — Faculty of Arts and Sciences

December 03, 2025

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on December 2, 2025, a tribute to the life and service of the late Roy Parviz Mottahedeh was spread upon the permanent records of the Faculty. Read the tribute to Roy Parviz Mottahedeh in the Harvard...

In Memoriam: Roy Mottahedeh (Contributions by Arafat Razzaque, Han Hsien Liew, Sumaiya Hamdani)

November 13, 2025

Editors at Maydan, an online publication of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, asked former students of the late Islamic and Iranian historian Roy Mottahedeh to reflect on his scholarship, personality, and impact...

Roger Owen, 83: Memorial Minute — Faculty of Arts and Sciences

November 05, 2025

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on November 4, 2025, a tribute to the life and service of the late Roger Owen was spread upon the permanent records of the Faculty. Read the tribute to Roger Owen in the Harvard Gazette.