SOAS and Pears Foundation partner to expand Israel Studies
April 12, 2011
Pears Foundation is investing £485,000 over the next four years in The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), one of the UK’s leading institutions for the study of the languages, cultures, politics and history of the Middle East, to strengthen its current expertise in Israel Studies through:
- The creation of two new posts – a lectureship and a Senior Research Fellowship in Israel Studies
- The development of a European Association of Israel Studies (EAIS)
Colin Shindler, Professor of Israel Studies and the incoming Pears Senior Research Fellow in Israel Studies at SOAS, welcomed the partnership, saying: “SOAS has a global reputation for academic rigour with regard to complex political situations, and we encourage open debate in an academic environment. Our Israel Studies programme has been incredibly popular and internationally accredited, and builds on the strong relations with organisations which run programmes and events at the University. I am delighted that SOAS will be able to provide an even greater range of academic tools through which anyone wanting to learn more about Israel can participate.”
Charles Keidan, Director, Pears Foundation, outlined his hopes for the partnership, saying: “We believe in the importance of rigorous academic scholarship about Israel, and our partnership with SOAS will help to meet the growing demand amongst students for high quality research and teaching in this area. Israel Studies is an important part of a wider understanding of the Middle East and we hope that students and academics will benefit from the increased breadth of study this investment will provide.”
Colin Shindler will take on the Senior Research Fellow position in September, and the recruitment process for the lectureship has started. The inaugural conference of the EAIS will be held in the next academic year.
SOAS is the natural home for the EAIS, having been the first Higher Education institution to appoint a Professor of Israel Studies in the UK, and is responding to an international demand – from both students and academics – for scholarship in this area.
Professor Paul Webley, Director of SOAS, supports the continuation of Israel Studies and says: “The appointment of Colin Shindler as Senior Research Fellowship in Israel Studies is excellent news for the continuation of Israel Studies at SOAS. It reaffirms our commitment in partnership with Pears Foundation to developing this subject and to providing in-depth analysis of the Middle East. We are also delighted to host the European Association of Israel Studies which will see SOAS at the forefront of research and scholarly exchange in this field by bringing together leading academics from across Europe for the first time.”
This investment forms part of a wider programme of support from Pears Foundation for Israel Studies, with posts currently operating in other British universities including the Pears Fellowship in Israel and Middle Eastern Studies at Manchester University and the Pears Fellowship in Israel and Mediterranean Studies at Oxford University. For both SOAS and Pears Foundation, this agreement marks a step forward for the study of and research on Israel.
Guardian Education article