Maha T. Nassar Page 5
Maha T. Nassar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies
Marshall Bldg Rm 440 | 845 N Park Av
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0158
Phone: (520) 626-5189 | Fax: (520) 621-2333
Email:
[June 2013]
EMPLOYMENT
Assistant Professor, School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona, 2011-present
Lecturer, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona, 2008-2011
Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona, 2006-2008
EDUCATION
Ph.D. (with honors) University of Chicago, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 2006
Dissertation: “Affirmation and Resistance: Press, Poetry and the Formation of National
Identity among Palestinian Citizens of Israel, 1948-1967”
Minor Fields: Islamic Civilization, Qur’anic Studies
M.A. University of Chicago, Middle Eastern Studies, 1999
Thesis: “Resisting Categorization: The Historiography of ‘Izz al-Din al-Qassam and the
Outbreak of the 1936-1939 Palestinian Revolt”
B.A. Benedictine University, 1997
English Language and Literature, Secondary Education (minor), Summa Cum Laude,
Scholar’s Program
PUBLICATIONS
Articles:
“Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Discourse on the Right of Return, 1948-1959.” Journal of
Palestine Studies 40, no. 4 (Summer 2011): 45-60.
“The Marginal as Central: Al-Jadid and the Development of a Palestinian Public Sphere, 1953–
1970,” Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 3, no. 3 (November 2010): 333-51.
“’My Struggle Embraces Every Struggle’: Palestinians in Israel and Solidarity with Afro-Asian
Decolonization Movements,” Arab Studies Journal (Under Review)
Book Reviews:
Ilan Peleg and Dov Waxman, Israel’s Palestinians: The Conflict Within (2008). International Journal of Middle East Studies, 45 (2013): 631-3.
Hillel Cohen, Army of Shadows: Palestinian Collaboration with Zionism, 1917-1948, tr. Haim Watzman (2008). International Journal of Middle East Studies, 41 (2009): 506-7.
Shawkat Toorawa (translator), Adonis, A Time between Ashes and Roses: Poems (2004). Journal of
Arabic Literature 38, no. 2 (2007): 240-3.
Work in Progress:
Monograph, Overcoming Isolation: Palestinians in Israel, Cultural Resistance and the Arab World.
RESEARCH AREAS AND INTERESTS
Research Areas:
Modern Middle Eastern History, Arab Cultural and Intellectual History, Arab-Israeli Conflict
Research Interests:
Nationalism and Religion in the Middle East, Language and Culture in the Middle East, Arabs and Muslims in the United States, Women and Gender in Islam and the Middle East
FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS
SBSRI Faculty Professorship, University of Arizona, Fall 2012
Finalist, Five Star Faculty Teaching Award, University of Arizona Honors College, 2010
University of Chicago Century Fellowship (Tuition and Stipend), 1999-2004
University of Chicago Unendowed Fellowship, 1997-99
Benedictine University Humanities Division Award, 1997
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Courses Taught:
MENA 277A: History of the Middle East, 600-1453 (Tier 2 General Education)
MENA 277B: History of the Middle East, 1453-present (Tier 2 General Education)
MENA 334: Islamic Thought (Tier 2 General Education)
MENA 463/563: Gender Issues and Women’s Literature in the Middle East
MENA 480/580: The Middle East in the 20th Century
MENA 484/584: History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
MENA 696Y: Nationalism and Islam
Thesis & Dissertation Committees:
Primary Advisor on Two Honors Thesis Committees (2006, 2013)
Primary Advisor on Three M.A. Thesis Committees (2006, 2013, 2013)
Committee Member on 13 Dissertation Committees (2011-present)
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“‘And for Us, Too:’ Decolonization Movements and the Palestinian Counterpublic in Israel, 1960-
1967,” American Historical Association Annual Conference, Chicago, January 7, 2012.
“Revolution in Egypt: An Analysis,” panel sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild Southwest
Regional, University of Arizona James E. Rogers School of Law, April 10, 2011.
“Islam in the Media,” Arizona Newspaper Association Annual Conference, Phoenix, October
10, 2009.
“The Generation Gap: Marxism and Nationalism in Palestinian-Israeli Literary Productions,
1948-1967,” Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2008
“Media Coverage of Muslims and Muslim-Americans,” Society of Professional Journalists
Annual Conference, Tucson, April 12, 2008.
“On the Front Lines: The Arab ‘Discovery’ of Palestinian Citizens of Israel, 1967-1970,” Middle
East Studies Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2005,
“‘Know Your Heritage:’ Communism, Nationalism and the Appropriation of Islamic History
Among Palestinian-Israeli Intellectuals, c. 1953-1960.” Middle East History and Theory Conference, University of Chicago, May 2005.
“Nationalism through Verse: The Emergence of Palestinian-Israeli Resistance Poetry, 1957-60.”
Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, November 2004.
“Inspiration, Confirmation, Justification: The Functions of Islamic History in Palestinian
Nationalist Rhetoric,” Middle East History and Theory Conference, University of Chicago, May 2001.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC LECTURES
Public Lecture, “Peace in Palestine,” Tucson Rotary Club, November 2012.
Discussant, “Habibi,” Human Rights Film Festival, Tucson, December 2012.
Public Lecture, “Recent Elections in Egypt and Tunisia and the Prospects for Palestinian-Israeli
Peace,” Tucson Jewish Community Center, December 2011.
Panelist, “What Does it Mean to be Post 9/11? Media, Privacy and Community,” panel sponsored
by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona, September 2011.
Panelist, “Winds of Change: Democracy or Dictatorship in the Middle East,” panel sponsored by
the Southwest Initiative on the Study of Middle East Conflicts, University of Arizona, February 2011.
Invited Lecture, “Power of the Press: Arabic Media and the Creation of a Palestinian Counterpublic in Israel, 1948-1967.” University of Mississippi, December 2010.
Public Presentation, “Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think,” film screening sponsored
by the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Gallagher Theater, January
2010.
Invited Lecture, “The Marginal as Central: Arabic Literary Journals in Israel and the
Development of a Palestinian Public Sphere,” University of Arizona Sociology
Department Friday Lunch Oratory (Brown Bag) series, October 2009.
Invited Lecture, “Refugees in the Middle East: Palestinian Refugees,” Ninth Annual Southwest
Graduate Conference in Middle Eastern Studies, Tucson, March 2009
Invited Lecture, “Pressing for Return: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Discourse on
Refugees, 1948-1958.” University of Arizona CMES/NES faculty lecture series, February 2009.
Invited Lecture, “From Victims to Heroes: Arab Intellectual Discourses of Palestinian Israelis,
1948-70,” University of Montana, Missoula, November 2007.
Panelist, “Women’s Roles in Muslim Communities,” Conversations across Religious Traditions Lecture Series, College of Humanities, University of Arizona, October 2007.
Keynote Speaker, “Defining the Ideal Muslim Woman in the 21st Century,” Islam Awareness Week, University of Arizona, April 2007.
Invited Lecture, “The Generation Gap: Poetry, Resistance and Nationalism among Palestinian
Israelis, 1948-67,” Cornell University, Ithaca, February 2007.
Invited Lecture, “On the Front Lines: The Arab ‘Discovery’ of Palestinian Citizens of Israel,
1967-1970.” Rutgers University History Department, February 2007.
Invited Lecture, “Transnational Advocacy Networks in the Palestinian Context,” DePaul University, Chicago, June 2004.
Panelist, “Applying an Inclusive Security Paradigm to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict,” Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, November 2002.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Panel Discussant, “Intertwined Interests? Islam and Institutions in the Middle East,” University
of Arizona Southwest Graduate Conference in Middle Eastern Studies, April 2013.
Panel Organizer, “Trans-regional Media Networks and the Development of a Public Sphere in
the Twentieth-Century Middle East,” the American Historical Association Annual Conference, Chicago, January 2012.
Panel Organizer, “Palestinian Intelligentsia in Israel: Negotiating Gender and Nationalism Within and Beyond the State” the Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2008
Panel Discussant, “Negotiating Family: Women and the Modern State,” the Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2008
Co-coordinator, Middle East Summer Institute, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Arizona, June 2008.
Symposium Co-Chair, “In Perfect Harmony: Cultures, Dialogue and the Heart,” Tucson, February 2008.
Panel Organizer, “Palestinian National Identity and Resistance in the 20th Century: Textual Approaches.” Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2005.
Palestinian Delegate, Women Waging Peace Executive Program and U.S. Institute of Peace
Training Program, Women and Public Policy Program, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, November 2002.
Co-Coordinator, Teach-in series on Middle East Peace Process, Norman Waite Harris Memorial Foundation Fund, Center for International Studies, University of Chicago, 2001-2002.
Member, University of Chicago’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies Speakers Bureau, 2000-2002
Coordinator, Middle East History and Theory Workshop and Conference, Council for Advanced Studies, University of Chicago, 1999-2000.
UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL and DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEES
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Near Eastern Studies, 2011-2012
Undergraduate Advisor, Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona, 2008-2012
Chair, Undergraduate Committee, Near Eastern Studies, 2011-2012
Member, Undergraduate Committee, Near Eastern Studies, 2008-2011
Member, Curriculum Committee, Near Eastern Studies, 2009-present
Member, Social Science Research Council Steering Committee, “Islam and the Media,” University
of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 2009-2010
Member, University of Arizona Diversity Coalition, 2008-2009
Member, Steering Committee for “UA Discusses: Cultural Models and Stereotypes,” 2008-2009
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Middle East Studies Association, American Historical Association
LANGUAGES
Near-native fluency in Arabic (reading and speaking)
Fair Hebrew and Spanish (reading and speaking)
Reading French