Research Topics
The Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the Faculty of Arts of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is one of the youngest oriental studies departments in the Czech Republic. Since its establishment in 2002, the Department of Middle Eastern Studies has positioned itself as an interdisciplinary department, offering a comprehensive range of academic programmes spanning the history of the region from ancient Mesopotamia to the present, Islamology, anthropology of Middle Eastern cultures, Jewish and Israeli studies, and contemporary Middle Eastern languages.
The Department of Middle Eastern Studies has long-standing and systematic cooperation with a number of foreign universities and other institutions with which it has concluded inter-university cooperation agreements and contracts in the Erasmus+ mobility programme.
In the course of our research on Shi'a Islam, we have engaged actively in a range of religious rituals. As a result, members of our team have undertaken the traditional Shi'a religious pilgrimage from Najaf to Karbala (Iraq), alongside several million other Shi'a from across the globe.
Islamic medical bioethics is the field of study that addresses the ethical and legal issues related to the development of modern medical technologies in Muslim settings. These technologies include, but are not limited to, assisted reproductive technologies, transplants, cloning, abortion, and many others.
The Centre for African Studies plays an integral role in the research conducted by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, with more advanced students also participating. The interdisciplinary project, which is funded by the Czech Republic's Grant Agency, combines the disciplines of archaeology, anthropology, history and social geography. It is concerned with the transformation of pre-colonial cities during the colonial period, with a particular focus on those in Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco and Spain. The research subject is urban morphology, which encompasses the street network and public edifices such as mosques, markets and, last but not least, cemeteries.
In Ethiopia, our scholars direct their attention to a range of interrelated topics, including politics and society, as well as various forms of inequality (ethnic, social, regional, religious). Additionally, they explore the historical and contemporary dynamics of Czechoslovak-African relations, with a particular emphasis on the role of education during the Cold War era.
Our research engages with the political, social and economic processes in the Middle East that have precipitated a significant wave of migration from numerous countries in the region, particularly to Europe, in recent times. The causes, course and consequences of migration are examined in relation to both the migrants' countries of origin and the host societies.
The anthropology of Islam is a field of research that has taken our team of scholars to Oman, where we are engaged in an in-depth examination of the nexus between tradition and modernity in the everyday life of this Islamic country. In this context, our researcher examines not only the modifications to family law but also the manner in which traditional Islamic law is responding to new challenges in domains such as medicine and biotechnology.
This research project in Yemen examines the social, cultural and economic impacts of khat consumption and how this mild stimulant affects the lives of Yemeni men and women.
The emergence and development of new religious and spiritual movements in Islam are documented with the example of the Islamic mystical order Naqshbandiya haqqaniya. The distinctive religious practices of these movements and the impact of modern communication technologies on the daily lives of believers are also examined.
The comprehensive language training provided for this type of research is an essential component of our students' preparation. They may select either Arabic or Modern Hebrew as their primary language, with the additional option of studying Persian.
The study of media is approached by investigating the function of contemporary media and communication technologies in the context of political and religious extremism. This includes an examination of the role of these technologies in the Arab Spring revolutions and their subsequent developments.
Our Hebraists investigate a comprehensive array of subjects pertaining to Jewish culture, tradition, history, and emerging trends. Their research spans from biblical phenomenology to contemporary issues such as the reflection on the Holocaust in Jewish thought and collective memory. We examine the portrayal of the Holocaust in the contemporary Jewish press and the representation of Czechoslovakia in the Jewish media. Furthermore, our institute is the sole institution engaged in systematic anthropological research on contemporary anti-Semitism.