Programs & Initiatives

Middle East Studies Program

The Middle East Studies Program at Florida International University is the Jaffer Center's premier academic program devoted to the study of the Middle East. Its activities include lectures, workshops, conferences, and cultural and artistic events, all of which are open to students and the outside community. In addition, the Middle East Studies program offers both an Undergraduate Certificate and Graduate Certificate in “Middle East and Central Asian Studies”.

Western Indian Ocean Studies Program

The Western Indian Ocean Studies Program is a research collaboration among AIPS, CEIAS-CNRS, FIU, and SUZA which promotes multidisciplinary avenues of research into the dynamics of cosmopolitan religious identities in the western Indian Ocean region. Its purpose is three-fold: the preservation of texts, material culture, and oral traditions; international academic collaboration to share resources and expertise; and to publish original research and translations in English and French to develop the study the connection between South Asia and East Africa through its transnational littoral communities.

Pakistan Studies Initiative

The Pakistan Studies Initiative was established in Fall 2021 with the intention of furthering international, political, social, cultural, and historical studies of Pakistan. The PSI seeks to do this through offering courses on Pakistan and events dedicated to both the analysis of current events and current research on Pakistan. The PSI also seeks to further research into Pakistan along these and other dimensions. The Pakistan Studies Initiative is also proud to announce the inaugural Khalid and Diana Mirza Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. T. J. Liguori, whose research focuses on the legacies of historical geopolitical and identity framings of Kashmir in the present.