It is no easy task to present the state of Arabic studies as a whole in Spain. Furthermore, the situation is constantly and normally evolving. I will nonetheless try to give a summary picture here.

In the first place one must present the bibliography of the other studies on this subject already published.

This report summarizes the results of a survey of Kansas high school teachers of World History conducted in the Spring of 1972. Though the data were gathered in the state of Kansas, the textbooks used in the World History course are “national” in the sense that (1) the authors are not local or even regional and (2) the books are widely used in various parts of the country.

Dates in parentheses at the end of each statement represent the combined holdings of the Stanford University-Hoover Institution libraries and are meant to serve as a guide to the publication history of the documents.

The bibliography is arranged by country and then by issuing agency. The Arabic form of the agency has been used when available.

This bibliography is not a comprehensive listing, but rather serves as an introduction to the wealth of material buried in the confusing array of publications of statistical agencies in the Middle East.

The Program Committee (Paul English, Coordinator; Ahmet Evin, Irene Gendzier, Carl Leiden, members; Barbro Ek, Nicholas S. Hopkins, ex officio) met on April 26, 1974, in Boston, and worked out the following program. In addition to the papers, panels and workshops listed here, there will be films, lunches, business meetings of associated associations and entertainment. Full details will appear on the final printed program.

An asterisk indicates that an abstract has been received. Double citation marks (““like this””) means that the title was not given by the author and has been constructed by the committee. The Program Committee decided to try to give times to all panels early this year in the hope that this would enable people to make plans ahead of time. Changes will be held to a minimum.

The following is a summary of the discussions and decisions at the 16th Board of Directors meeting in New York on February 1, 1974. Those present were President Leonard Binder, Past President Charles Issawi, Board Members Amin Banani, Kathleen Burrill, Iliya Harik, Ira Lapidus, Ernest McCarus, and Don Peretz, Acting Executive Secretary Nicholas S. Hopkins, and MESA’S Administrative Assistant Elana Mashberg.

‘Area studies’ developed later in Great Britain than in North America. The period of rapid growth began in 1962, as a result of a report by a government committee (the Hayter Committee) set up to consider the future of Oriental, Slavonic, East European and African studies. The report recommended that the government give special grants to encourage historians and social scientists to extend their interests and apply their methods to the world outside Western Europe, and to make possible the creation of a number of inter-disciplinary centres. The report was accepted and grants were given for these purposes until 1972. By that time there were approximately a dozen universities which had some kind of regular degree course in Arabic, Islamic or Middle Eastern studies, and a number of other universities and colleges where some teaching of these subjects took place. There was a growing demand for a professional association which would make it possible for those who taught and studied Middle Eastern subjects to discuss matters of common interest and to coordinate their work in what might well be a period of financial stringency. After long discussions between interested bodies, the Society was formally brought into existence at a meeting held in London in May 1973.