HUFS Institute of Middle Eastern Studies Selected for Humanities Korea 3.0

KRW 12 Billion in Funding Over Six Years
Strengthening Middle Eastern Research Capacity

The Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) has been selected for a new project under the “Humanities Korea 3.0 Support Program” organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Korea University of Foreign Studies Campus. Korea University of Foreign Studies

As the leading institute, the HUFS Institute of Middle Eastern Studies announced on the 5th that it had formed a consortium with the Institute for Middle Eastern Affairs at Myongji University, the Institute of GCC Countries at Dankook University, and the Mediterranean Research Center at Busan University of Foreign Studies. The consortium has been selected for the consortial track of the “Humanities Korea 3.0 Support Program.”

As a result, for the next six years, the consortium will receive approximately KRW 12 billion in research funding, enabling these major domestic Middle East research institutions to establish a new academic foundation for Middle East studies from a uniquely Korean perspective.

The research agenda for this project is “Establishing Korean-Style Middle Eastern Humanities in the Era of Civilizational Transformation: Reinterpreting Social Change in the Middle East and Its Contemporary Adaptations.” The goal is to deeply investigate the mechanisms and dynamics of change in Middle Eastern societies and to move beyond the traditional Western-centric framework, building “Korean-style Middle Eastern humanities” that embody Korea’s own unique perspective.

The research will be conducted in phases. In the first phase, the team will examine the historical factors behind social change in the Middle East in a diachronic manner to establish the theoretical and scholarly foundation for the study. The second phase will involve a synchronic analysis of changes in the contemporary Middle East and major issues from a Korean point of view.

In particular, the four institutes will establish a joint research system consisting of five sub-projects, aiming to expand the academic scope of Middle Eastern studies in South Korea. The consortium will also actively foster and support the next generation of scholars who will continue this academic legacy.

The project also emphasizes the dissemination of research findings into society at large, not just within academia.

Plans include building the research outcomes as digital knowledge assets, offering public lectures, and organizing cultural events and other programs to enhance public understanding of the Middle East in Korea. Through these efforts, the consortium also aims to establish a sustainable foundation for future cooperation between Korea and Middle Eastern countries.

Established in 1976, the HUFS Institute of Middle Eastern Studies is a leading research institution in Middle Eastern studies in South Korea.

It has conducted extensive research across the fields of politics, economics, society, and culture in the Middle East, and from 2020 through this year, has carried out the NRF “Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute Support Program (Strategic Area Research).”

In recognition of its research achievements, the institute was also selected as one of the “Top 50 Achievements in Academic and Research Support Projects” by the Ministry of Education in 2023.

The institutions participating in the consortium have all built up expertise and research experience in Middle Eastern studies.

The Institute for Middle Eastern Affairs at Myongji University and the Mediterranean Research Center at Busan University of Foreign Studies have both carried out previous Humanities Korea Support Programs, while the Institute of GCC Countries at Dankook University has led the Emerging Area Research Support Program in the past.

By bringing together the research capabilities and expertise of these institutions, the HUFS Institute of Middle Eastern Studies plans to lay a robust foundation over the next six years for interpreting Middle Eastern societies from a distinctly Korean perspective, opening up new academic horizons for Middle Eastern studies in South Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.