When thinking about the curriculum of world history class, for most of us in North Carolina public schools, it was set up in a way that focused on the world history of Europe and the West in general, hardly touching on other regions — specifically, the Middle East.
In fact, the curriculum often only covered the Middle East up until the end of the ancient Mesopotamia and Egyptian civilizations and then shifts toward whitewashed, Western history. This style of teaching world history reinforces Orientalism — the idea that the Middle East is unchanging, timeless, with a culture that is not compatible with Western society.
However, over the past few centuries, and even the past hundred years, the Middle East has undergone some of the most dramatic political, social, religious and cultural changes. The history of religious plurality, tolerance and technological and academic advancements often gets covered up, as well as the long history of colonization by the West and its implications today.
Understanding the Middle East’s long history is important to the policy decisions and actions that occur today, and brushing over or ignoring them will only continue to wreak havoc in the area. If you are considering a future in politics, even domestic politics, your knowledge of the Middle East is going to have profound effect on the region, which is why it is important to study the indigenous and complex histories of the area.
