In the midst of a period of significant change in the Middle East and North Africa, scholars from multiple academic fields convened at Northwestern University in Qatar to present their work in progress on topics relevant to the region and its past, present and future. Together, their work suggests new directions in the study of the Middle East and North Africa and the ways an interdisciplinary conversation opens up a more dynamic sense of a complex and varied place. 'On the Ground' features the work of ten faculty members working in the field of Middle East and North African studies at two Northwestern campuses. The essays collected in this volume explore questions of political and cultural identity, widening inequalities, and increasing political and economic oppression. In doing so from this perspective, they challenge the received wisdom of the region and its people, history and relationship to the rest of the world.