The continuity between the modern period and the great literary traditions of Arabic in its classical period informs the work of this research cluster.Language, literature and material culture
Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
Literary and cultural studies in the Institute focus on the study of national literatures of the Arab World, as well as pan-Arab generic studies. The continuity between the modern period and the great literary traditions of Arabic in its classical period informs the work of this research cluster, as does the organic links which have developed between Arabic literature and European literature since the late 19th century, often making the study of modern Arabic literature a de facto comparative study if at least in part. Literary research interests in the Institute cross genre boundaries, covering fiction, poetry and drama, the literary essay, as well as literary criticism.
Persian Literary & Cultural studies
The Centre for Persian and Iranian Studies (CPIS) was set up in 2008 to coordinate and enhance the activities of Exeter University scholars in the broad range of Persian and Iranian studies including literacy and cultural studies. Find out more.
Kurdish Language, Literature & Culture
Exeter is the only British university with a strong research focus in the field of Kurdish Studies. As such, we are the leading centre of research in the field in the UK, and one of the global centres of excellence. Our focus on Kurdish Studies places the Kurds at the centre of our research and offers a chance to consider Kurdish society, culture and politics holistically in all its complexity and variation, across and within established nation states and the global diaspora community. Find out more.
Middle Eastern Material Culture
The subject of 'Material Culture' in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean is represented mainly by the work of Professor Dionisius Agius, who is also general editor of the journal Al-Masaq: lslam and the Medieval Mediterranean, and is directing a major new international project on maritime culture, the Golden Web MARES Project.
Material culture at IAIS also links in to the interests of the Centre for Mediterranean Studies.
Professor Dionisius A. Agius,
Al Qasimi Professor of Arabic Studies and Islamic Material Culture
I define CULTURE as "a system of relationships that exist among a community of people, and their religious belief. Of these relationships, I consider the interaction between man and material culture to be one of the most important and significant elements in a community. Material Culture comprises the objects that the individual of a community manufacture, subject to climate, environment and the materials available; it is also about the relationship between the individual and the object in terms of both the manufacture and use. Thus, maritime material culture is the relationship between man and all that pertains to the sea; the carpenter and his water/sea craft; the community and their materials; the types of ships and boats; the crew; navigational aids; winds and currents; the merchants and their voyage; trade and pilgrimage; the harbour and the people". Tradition forms an important part of CULTURE. Tradition is the handing down of ideas and practices from one generation to another. While this suggests that things remained the same, adaptations must have occurred over time; for example, in my research on maritime culture I have shown how, overall, the shipwright would have adhered to the tried and tested practices of the past, within the context of the socio-economic conditions, the availability of material, technological resources and environment.
