Constructing and Naturalizing the Middle East

Disordered Ordering: Mapping the Divisions of the Ottoman Empire

“…Many different territorial divisions were proposed for the former Ottoman Empire, and though many of the proposals were fleeting, they would eventually culminate in the geopolitical reordering of the fallen empire into new imperial mandated states (Adelson 1995;Keddie 1973;Owen 2000;MacMillan 2001;Fromkin 1989;Heffernan 1995Heffernan , 1996. Then, during the mid-twentieth century, most of these new states would gain their independence and become the core states of ''the Middle East'' (Culcasi 2010). But the division of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the construction of the ''Middle East,'' was not a calculated or scientific process; instead, it was part of much broader geopolitical and imperial processes that were quite disordered and fleeting.…”

Static imaginations and the possibilities of radical change: reflecting on the Arab Spring

“…This type of work is tremendously useful and necessary, as is definitional and conceptual analysis around the key terms used in debates over the politics and geopolitics of the region. For example, it has been increasingly recognised that, at the level of geographical imaginations, in foundational terms the ‘Middle East’ is a predominantly Western construct (Culcasi ). We do not challenge or question the utility and potential of these research emphases.…”

Use of Business-Naming Practices to Delineate Vernacular Regions: A Michigan Example

“…Boundary delineation is a classic problem in regional geography education (Good, Derudder, and Witlox 2011). Geography educators expect regionally oriented educational content to contain maps depicting a given region, but in recent years studies have questioned the authoritativeness of boundary delineations in educational materials (Culcasi 2010;Good, Derudder, and Witlox 2011).…”