Postcolonial studies and research on the politics of the Middle East and North Africa

The legacy of colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is both profound and lasting. Yet, this has not led to the development of a postcolonial studies approach to the study of politics in the MENA. This article investigates the possibility of the application of this type of research agenda, charting the mutual failure of Middle East area studies and postcolonial studies to create an analytical common ground. My investigation into postcolonial studies hopes, by contrast, to open up such a possibility, and to argue for greater methodological and epistemological pluralism in area studies.