Studying West Asia at the School of International Studies: Origin, Evolution and Challenges

West Asian (Middle Eastern) Studies in India began in the 1950s as part of the broader international relations and area studies at the Indian School of International Studies. It evolved at the School of International Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University after the 1960s, first at the Centre for West Asian and African Studies and later at the Centre for West Asian Studies (CWAS). The discipline gradually expanded to other universities and institutions, such as Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, University of Mysore and University of Kerala. Despite these developments, the study of the West Asia and North Africa region has long remained confined to New Delhi and Kerala; in the latter, it has been broadly grouped with Islamic Studies or International Studies. The expansion of the discipline has not been commensurate with the region’s significance to India’s foreign policy and relations. Overall, the discipline has faced pedagogical and structural challenges, including a lack of language proficiency, an excessive focus on semantics, an inability to attract younger talent and the non-recognition of its pioneers and stalwarts. CWAS—and West Asian Studies, more broadly—needs to find ways to overcome these challenges and capitalize on India’s growing relations with the Gulf and West Asia, contributing to an informed debate on the region in India and internationally, and making the study of the region attractive to the younger generation.