Arab World Studies Faculty 

Director

Irene Calis Director, Arab World Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Irene Calis is a decolonial scholar, educator, and organizer. Her research focuses on emancipatory politics from the perspective of those living their struggle, and on forging decolonial futures. Her

  calis@american.edu

Faculty

Morad Elsana Adjunct Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Dr. Elsana is an adjunct professor at the American University. Prior, he served as a professor of Public International Law, International Human Rights Law, and International Humanitarian Law. Dr. Elsa

  melsana@american.edu

Mustafa Gurbuz Adjunct Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Mustafa Gurbuz is a political sociologist whose research focuses on political violence and terrorism, conflict resolution, social movements, Muslims in the West, and ethnic/sectarian politics in the M

  gurbuz@american.edu

Abdallah Hendawy Adjunct Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Abdallah Hendawy, Ph.D., specializes in the study of mass mobilization and social movements with a particular focus on radicalization and violent insurgency in the Middle East. He has been actively en

  hendawy@american.edu

Judd King Adjunct Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Judd King currently teaches in the Department of Philosophy and Religion and is affiliated with the Arab World Studies Program. His primary research interests are modern Islamic political movements, g

  jking@american.edu

Martyn Oliver Faculty Chair, AU Core CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Martyn was born and raised in southern Minnesota. In addition to Washington State and Boston, his studies also took him to Scotland, Lebanon, Austria, and Morocco. His work explores the construction o

  oliver@american.edu

  (202) 885-2943

Elke Stockreiter Associate Professor CAS | History

Elke Stockreiter is a historian of modern Africa. Her research and teaching interests include the histories of colonialism, gender, race, and slavery in Africa and the Indian Ocean World. Trained as a

  estockre@american.edu

  (202) 885-6746

Affiliated Faculty

Mohammed Abu-Nimer Professor SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Mohammed Abu-Nimer, of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program, is a full professor who has conducted interreligious conflict resolution training and interfaith dialogue workshops in c

  abunimer@american.edu

Akbar Ahmed Distinguished Professor and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

  akbar@american.edu

Boaz Atzili Associate Professor SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security

Dr. Boaz Atzili is a political scientist who researches and teaches international politics. His interest is in international security with an emphasis on the politics of borders, borderlands and terri

  atzili@american.edu

  (202) 885-1648

Naima Hachad Associate Professor and Department Chair, World Languages & Cultures CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Dr. Hachad’s research focuses on issues of gender and sexuality, autobiography and testimony, and the representation and memorialization of violence in cultural productions of the Maghreb and the Cari

  hachad@american.edu

  (202) 885-1458

Anders Hardig Senior Professorial Lecturer SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics

Dr. Anders Härdig is Director of the Global Scholars Program at SIS and Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Comparative Politics and Regional Studies (CRS) program at the School of International Servi

  hardig@american.edu

  (202) 885-1541

Shadi Mokhtari Assistant Professor SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Shadi Mokhtari teaches at the School of International Service at American University in Washington D.C., where she focuses on the politics of human rights, political change in the Middle East, and pol

  mokhtari@american.edu

Erez Naaman Assoc Professor CAS - World Languages and Cultures

Erez Naaman specializes in classical Arabic literature and culture. In addition, his research interests include the intellectual history of the premodern Islamic world. His scholarly work has focused

  naaman@american.edu

  (202) 885-2468

Ghiyath Nakshbendi Senior Professorial Lecturer KSB | Finance/Real Estate

Professor Nakshbendi teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Islamic Finance, project finance, microfinance, Trade and Project Finance, export-import management, international business and the g

  nakshben@american.edu

  (202) 885-3268

Mohamed Nimer Assistant Professor OGIS | Washington Semester Programs

Areas of Expertise: Quantitative Methods, International Development, Middle East
Dr. Nimer teaches International Affairs and Intercultural Understanding at the School of Professi

  nimer@american.edu

  (202) 895-4921

Pedram Partovi Associate Professor CAS | History

Pedram Partovi is a historian of the medieval and modern Muslim world. His current research focuses on the history of youth movements and their role in creating and disrupting the political order in I

  partovi@american.edu

  (202) 885-6740

Kendra Salois Assistant Professor CAS | Performing Arts

Kendra Salois received the Ph.D. in Music from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013. Prior to joining the Department of Performing Arts at AU, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the

  salois@american.edu

  (202) 885-3431

Cathy Lisa Schneider Professor SIS - School of International Service

Professor Schneider teaches and writes on democracy, dictatorship and resistance; comparative social movements; collective violence; racial profiling, police violence and racial and ethnic discriminat

  cschnei@american.edu

  (202) 885-1666

Diane Singerman Associate Prof Emeritus

Dr. Singerman is an Associate Professor and comparativist whose research interests focus on political change from below, particularly in the Middle East, and more specifically Egypt. Her work examines

  (202) 885-2362

Elizabeth Thompson Professor and Mohamed S. Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, SIS SIS | Global Inquiry

Elizabeth F. Thompson is a historian of social movements and liberal constitutionalism in the Middle East, with a focus on how race and gender relations have been conditioned by foreign intervention a

  eft@american.edu

  (202) 885-1632

John Willoughby Professor CAS | Economics

Professor Willoughby has recently returned from a two-year stay in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates where he helped create an undergraduate economics program at the new American University of Sharjah. He

  jwillou@american.edu

  (202) 885-3759