Political Science Professor Catherine Warrick, PhD, Named Editor of Digest of Middle East Studies

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Catherine Warrick, PhD, associate professor of Political Science and director of Villanova University’s Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, has been named editor of the Digest of Middle East Studies, a peer-reviewed, international social science journal dedicated to publishing original research on domestic and international policy issues in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa.

Today, international politics and economics are deeply affected by the dynamics in the Arab and Islamic world. Issues and trends that will gradually shape its future include demographic changes, more vocal calls for accountability in governance, access to the Internet and democratization of information, transformation of the energy sector, and the growing role of religion in public discourse. Established in 1992, Digest of Middle East Studies is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Policy Studies Organization.

An expert on Middle East politics and law, Islamic law, gender, and British politics, Dr. Warrick is the author of Law in the Service of Legitimacy: Gender and Politics in Jordan (Ashgate, 2009). She is currently researching the uses of Islamic law in Western democracies, for which she held a grant from the National Science Foundation's Law and Social Science program and a Fulbright faculty fellowship to the University of Exeter (UK). In addition to her academic work, Dr. Warrick occasionally serves as an expert witness in asylum cases involving Arab refugees and has testified before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus about honor crimes.

“I am delighted to bring Digest of Middle East Studies to Villanova and honored to be selected as editor,” Dr. Warrick said. “It brings significant international attention to our Center for Arab and Islamic Studies.”

Villanova University established the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies in 1983 in recognition of the critical importance of Arab and Islamic cultures, which for centuries have had a profound impact on the arts and sciences in the Middle East and elsewhere. Arab and Islamic Studies at Villanova offers an interdisciplinary approach that reflects the complexity of the Arab and Islamic world, offers a basic grounding in Arabic language, and provides a background for advanced professional studies, as well as careers in government or business in the field