The core idea of the Summer School is to deconstruct the imaginaries and stereotypes that have formed the representation of the Middle East as a result of the oft-inaccurate media coverage. Relying on previous cooperation agreements and consolidated research relationships, the international scientific committee of the “Understanding the Middle East” summer school met the challenge to organise a coherent and articulated programme that, in each annual edition, addresses one of the key issues related to the region. The chosen perspective grounded in Political Science. In this sense, political science is, however, understood in a broad sense: political philosophy, political sociology, and the history of thought, are all considered among others. At the same time, major attention is paid to methodological issues and, in particular, those relating to fieldwork.

The Summer School is the only school in Italy, and among the very few in Europe, offering a programme focused on the Middle East but with a politological perspective.