In the Arabic-speaking mahjar (diaspora), the plight of the working poor was the focus of women’s philanthropy. Scholarship on welfare relief in the interwar Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian diaspora currently situates it within a gendered politics of benevolence. This article reconsiders that frame and argues for a class-centered reassessment o…[Read more]

This course explores histories of forced migration in the Middle East and South Asia during the twentieth century. Looking at the role of colonialism, partition, and social unrest in driving the movement of refugees, IDPs, and stateless peoples, we examine how everyday struggles for refugee protection, asylum, and citizenship influence regional…[Read more]

Khālid b. al-Walīd (d. 642CE/21AH) is among the most distinguished Arab commanders from the period of the early Islamic conquests, and features prominently in the conquests of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Syria. Among the most famous tales surrounding Khālid is the story of his desert march from Mesopotamia to Syria intending to relieve the Muslim ar…[Read more]

The second Islamic civil war, or fitna, divided the early Islamic community from the years 680-692CE/60-73AH and had as one of its central figures the character of ‘Abd Allāh b. al-Zubayr. He has long been treated in western scholarship as a usurper or “counter-Caliph” to the rightful leadership of the Umayyad Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwān.…[Read more]

From Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus Between the Ancient and Islamic Worlds (ca. 330 BCE-1000 CE), 2020
This article is concerned with the historical memory of late antique and early medieval Caucasia, including the territories of Armenia and Arran (often referred to as “Caucasian Albania”). While a contested area between the influence of…[Read more]