Center for Arab American Studies

Located in Southeast Michigan, home to a thriving Arab American community, CAAS serves as a center for academic inquiry and creative expression for the investigation of the Arab American experience. In addition to offering a minor and a certificate in Arab American Studies, the center facilitates research, interdisciplinary education, public outreach, digital humanities projects, and cultural programs, as well as student mentorship and professional development. In this work, CAAS partners with local and global policy makers, centers of community engagement and scholarship, and academic and social justice organizations.

Minor, Certificate and Courses

CAAS Projects

Student Projects

Cross-cultural connections between the Arab culture and the region of Northern Africa and Spain have been constant since the Middle Ages, as Andalusia, for example, was a melting pot of ethnicities. The mirror, reflecting north and south, south and north, has been hiding in plain sight for centuries, and this intertwined history has countless manifestations, including a current revival of this connection due to global migratory trends. We bring to you writers and artists from Arab and Spanish regions to create meaningful interactions with students, campus, and our communities in order to create stories that engage in a dialogue with/about the Mediterranean Mirror. This project is made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan.