Arabic and History

Arabic and history is a combination that opens access to one of the world's most significant linguistic and cultural traditions alongside the analytical tools to understand the long and complex history of the Arabic-speaking world and its interactions with other civilisations. Arabic is spoken by over 400 million people as a first language and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, with a literary tradition stretching back over a millennium and a contemporary media, literary, and cultural scene of great vitality. History, studied alongside Arabic, provides the frameworks to understand how the Arab world developed, how it engaged with the Ottoman Empire, European colonialism, and the independence movements of the twentieth century, and how its contemporary politics and cultures have been shaped by these experiences.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year programme develops your Arabic from a range of entry points to an advanced level, alongside a broad historical curriculum that can encompass medieval Islamic history, the Ottoman period, modern Middle Eastern history, and comparative world history. Edinburgh has genuine research strengths in Arabic and Islamic studies and in modern history, and the programme connects teaching to active scholarship. You will develop reading and conversational Arabic alongside the historical research skills that allow you to engage with primary sources in the language of the societies you are studying.

Graduates with Arabic and history are sought in diplomatic and government roles, journalism and media, international development and humanitarian work, intelligence analysis, international business with connections to the Middle East or North Africa, and academic research. The FCDO, international organisations, think tanks, NGOs working in the Arab world, and a wide range of multinational businesses with regional operations all value graduates with this profile. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in Arabic, Middle Eastern studies, Islamic studies, history, or international relations, and academic careers in these fields are open to those who develop specialist expertise at doctoral level.