2015 annual meeting attendees will have several sessions to choose from relating to Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world. Several papers will focus on Omani history, many will focus on Islam in Europe, and a few will take a larger view of the Middle East. Panelists will reflect on questions such as, Is there such a thing as a unified Arabian history? How was gender marginalization impacted by urbanization in 20th-century Middle East? How did 19th-century Europeans view Islam in relation to Judaism? Join us for these discussions and more, as we delve into the history of the rich cultures of the Middle East.

Global Perspectives on Modern Arabian History: A View from Two Coasts

Muslim Destinies in Interwar Europe: Laying the Foundations for European Islam

Religion, Orientalism, and Decolonization

Transnational History: Middle Eastern and North African Perspectives

Gendered Marginalization and Rapid Urbanization in the Twentieth-Century Middle East

Science and Religion across Time, Space, and Disciplinary Borders

Islam and the European Empires

Imperial Policing and the Networks of Empire

After exploring the Middle East and Muslim intellectual history in an academic context, head out for North African cuisine at Nomad (78 2nd Ave.), or if you’re interested in venturing further out, try Tanoreen in Bay Ridge (7523 3rd Ave., Brooklyn). Palestinian Zaytoun’s in Brooklyn (594 Vanderbilt Ave.) and Iraqi Moustache (1621 Lexington Ave.) are also highly recommended. And if you’re interested in shopping, check out Syrian artisan Joseph Hanna’s leather goods in Greenwich Village (33 Greenwich Ave.).

For more on the history of Arab communities in New York, read “Arab New York” in the November issue of Perspectives on History.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.