Who We Are
Crown Center faculty, staff, fellows, and doctoral students gathered recently at our two-day retreat, where the latest Center-based research was shared, workshopped, and discussed.
Featured Content Slideshow
Beyond Erdoğan: Lessons from Turkey's 2024 Local Elections
This Crown Conversation takes us beyond pro- and anti-Erdoğan rhetoric to examine changing voting patterns in Turkey, the significance of local politics in an increasingly authoritarian state, and more.
Arabs in the Jewish State: Israel's Minorities and the War in Gaza
How is the Israel-Hamas War reshaping Israel's democratic foundations and attitudes toward national identity? Daniel Amir offers a novel approach to this question by examining the way the conflict has affected Israel's Arab minorities.
The Crown Center for Middle East Studies is committed to conducting balanced and dispassionate research of the modern Middle East that meets the highest academic standards. The center seeks to help make decision- and opinion-makers better informed about the region. The scope of the center's research includes the 22 members of the Arab League as well as Turkey, Iran and Israel. The Crown Center's approach is multidisciplinary in its study of the politics, economics, history, security, sociology and anthropology of the region's states and societies.
Latest Crown Publication
On March 31, 2024, Turkey’s oldest political party, the Republican People’s Party (also known as CHP) surprised many analysts by winning local elections in most major cities and provinces, handing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) their worst electoral defeat in over two decades. We speak with Evren Balta and Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu about the reasons behind these unexpected results and their implications for Turkey’s political landscape. This Crown Conversation takes us beyond pro- and anti-Erdoğan rhetoric to examine changing voting patterns in Turkey, the significance of local politics in an increasingly authoritarian state, and the challenges that the government and opposition face going forward.
Image credit: Tunahan Turhan / SOPA Images/Sipa USA
Crown Center Analyses on Hamas and Israel
The Crown Center is dedicated to sharing balanced and dispassionate research on the Middle East. Please see the Crown Center analyses which delve into the roots and evolution of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Image credit: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for our Fall 2024 lineup coming soon!
Image credit: Mikhail Alaeddin / Sputnik via AP
Counter/Argument: A Middle East Podcast
Counter/Argument: A Middle East Podcast is produced by the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. Through conversations with scholars and practitioners encompassing a variety of disciplines and perspectives, each episode will debunk key misconceptions about the contemporary Middle East. "Counter/Argument" is committed to a balanced and dispassionate approach to the region and to making scholarship more widely accessible. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Image credit: Chae Lee