MERG

The Middle East Research Group (MERG) is a collaborative research group studying the Middle East and North Africa. MERG is a non-polemical, student think...

The Middle East Research Group

The Middle East Research Group (MERG) is a collaborative research group studying the Middle East and North Africa. MERG is a non-polemical, student think-tank and outreach initiative devoted to producing dialogue, scholarship, and nuanced explorations of the region. The group is designed to cultivate future leaders and to inspire students to realize the powerful results of its multi-perspectival model of thinking and acting.

Founded as the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP) in 2003, MERG works to foster understanding of the MENA region in the Tufts community through sharing the outcomes of its research projects and bringing various experts in fields such as political science, history, religion, art, journalism and humanitarian aid to campus. Topics for events held in the 2018-2019 year included conflict and intervention in Yemen, refugee settlement in Jordan, religion in North Africa and war photography in Iraq. MERG’s annual fact-finding trip provides its members an opportunity to conduct independent research in the MENA region. Past trips have been to Egypt, Iraqi Kurdistan, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

MERG’s latest trip was to Morocco in Spring 2019. Students participating in the trip conducted interviews with a number of experts in the cities of Rabat, Fez, Tangier, Marrakesh and Casablanca on topics including migration trends in Morocco, youth disenchantment post-Arab Spring, Orientalism and Moroccan art, and the promotion of Sufism as a counter-extremism strategy.

Research from the yearly trip and the initiative culminate with the publication of MERG’s Insights journal, a research publication featuring the original work of Tufts students. Each volume of Insights is the culmination of months of research and preparation, carefully planned and executed fact-finding missions abroad, and immense dedication to discourse and learning on behalf of MERG’s members and supporters, who include Tufts faculty members, foreign government officials, and IGL alumni working in the field.

If you are interested in getting involved in one of NIMEP’s programs, please contact us at MERG@tufts.edu.

Program At-a-Glance

Areas of Study

Program Size

=35/yr

Year Founded

2003

Locations

NIMEP Trip to Jordan

MERG Projects & Events

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MERG GALLERY 2019-2021

More Galleries

Student Taylor Lewis introduces the keynote speaker, Dr. Michael Gunter.
Food researcher Anny Gaul discuss the links between cuisine and history in the MENA region.
Anny Gaul charts the medieval history of hummus for eager students.
Students sample different hummus flavors while listening to the history of the delicious snack.
Students listen intently to learn more about the history of hummus and how it connects to modern culture in the MENA region.
Over video, Dr. Michael Gunter gives the keynote speech.
Other experts in the audience join the discussion on the U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
Experts answer questions from the audience centered around the recent withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria.
MERG Panelists discuss the implications of the U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria.
The panelists discuss the impact of the U.S. withdrawal on different actors as well as on the future of U.S. relationships and policy in the MENA region.