IJMES focuses on the area encompassing the Middle East and adjacent geo-cultural regions from the seventh century to the present. This area includes North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab, Turkic and Persianate worlds, the Mediterranean and Balkans, Central, South and Southeast Asia and areas to which peoples from these lands have migrated or settled. Essays on communities that have historical, political, cultural or religious ties to the Middle East and on transnational or trans-regional relations are encouraged. Particular attention will be paid to works dealing with anthropology, art and architecture, cultural studies, economics, gender and LGBQT studies, history, indigenous studies, law, literature, political science, religious studies, and sociology. IJMES does not accept technical or highly specialized material, nor does it publish in the areas of administration or training.