On January 13-14, 2024, the “Rethinking the Middle East as West Asia” Workshop, co-hosted by the Center for West Asian and North African Studies of the Institute of International and Area Studies (IIAS) at Tsinghua University and the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, was successfully held at Tsinghua University. The event brought together more than 30 scholars from 12 universities and research institutes, including Tsinghua University, the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, New York University, Fudan University, the Australian National University, the University of Exeter, King’s College London, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the University of Sharjah, the American University of Sharjah, Shanghai University, and the Middle East Center of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Beirut.

The workshop focused on the use of the terms “Middle East” and “West Asia” and their implications, the development and future of regional and country studies, trends in key topics in West Asia, and China’s influence in the region. Over the two-day event, participating scholars shared brilliant insights from their respective disciplines, fostering interdisciplinary exchange. Participants expressed that the academic discussions during the workshop were enriching and free-flowing, and they looked forward to new academic exchanges in future workshops.