Juan R. I. Cole |
Juan R. I. Cole is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan and the director of the Arab and Muslim American Studies Program in the American Culture Department. Cole has devoted his career to understanding the Middle East and the Muslim world more generally, and to critically evaluating its relationship with the North Atlantic states. His most recent edited book is Peace Movements in Islam. He is the author of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation from the
Persian. Among his other recent publications are Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires
(Bold Type Books, 2018) and The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the
Middle East (Simon & Schuster, 2014). He has translated works of
Lebanese-American author Kahlil Gibran. He has appeared widely on media,
including the PBS News Hour, ABC World News Tonight, Nightline, the Today
Show, Anderson Cooper 360, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes' All In, CNN, the
Colbert Report, Democracy Now! and many others. He has written about
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the Gulf and South Asia and about both extremist groups
and peace movements. He is proprietor of the Informed Comment news and
analysis site. Cole conducts his research in Arabic, Persian and Urdu and
Turkish as well as several European languages. He knows both Middle
Eastern and South Asian Islam. He lived in various parts of the Muslim
world for more than a decade, and continues to travel widely there. He has
written, edited or translated 21 books and authored over 100 articles and
chapters. A bibliography of his
writings may be found here. |
Education
1975 B.A. History and Literature of Religions, Northwestern University
1978 M.A. Arabic Studies, American University in Cairo
1984 Ph.D. Islamic Studies, University of California Los Angeles
Professional History
1984-1990 Assistant Professor of History, University of Michigan
1990-1995 Associate Professor of History, University of Michigan
1992-1995 Director, Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan
1995-2007 Professor of History, University of Michigan
2007- Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan
2009-2012 Director, Center for South Asian Studies, University of Michigan 2012-2017 Director, Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan 2019-2020. Adjunct Professor, Center for Gulf Studies, Qatar University, Doha
Scholastic Awards and Grants
; Distinguished Visiting Professor, Center for Gulf Studies, Qatar University, Spring 2018.
; Visiting Fellow, Doris Duke Institute of Islamic Art, Honolulu, December 2016.
; John W. Kluge Chair of Countries and Cultures of the South, Library of Congress, May-August 2016
; Farhat J. Ziadeh Lecture, U. of Washington, May 2014
; Richard Leopold Lecture, Dept. of History, Northwestern University,, Oct. 29, 2012
; Distinguished Visiting Professor, March 10-17, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
; Distinguished Visiting Professor, American University in Cairo, May 2010
; Green Visiting Chair, Texas Christian University, February 2009
; Collegiate Professorship, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan, 2007 -
; James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, Hunter College, 2005.
; Hudson Research Professorship, Winter, 2003
; Award for Research in Turkey, May, 1999, International Institute, U-M
; Research Excellence Award, College of LSA, U-M, August, 1997
; OVPR and LSA Faculty Assistance Fund Grants, June, 1995
; LSA Faculty Assistance Fund Grant, March 1994
; Rackham Research Partnership, 1992-93
; National Endowment for the Humanities, Jan.-June, 1991
; Office of the Vice-President for Research, U-M (Pakistan), Summer 1990
; Horace H. Rackham Faculty Grant, Egypt, Summer 1988
; SSRC/ACLS Post-Doctoral Award, England, Summer 1986
; Fulbright-Hays Islamic Civilization Postdoctoral Award, Egypt, 1985-86
; SSRC/ACLS Doctoral Fellowship, Pakistan, India, UK, 1981-83
; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Fellowship, India, 1982
At the University of Michigan, he teaches courses on the modern history of the Middle East and on South Asia. He regularly teaches History 241, America and Middle Eastern Wars. He also offers a survey, History 443 Modern Middle East History. For graduate students he offersr History 664 Studies on the Modern Middle East, History 749 Seminar on the Modern Middle East, and History 793 The Study of the Near East, and has co-taught History 615 Comparative World History.
Recent National Service
- Editorial Board, Journal of Islamic Research, 2019-;
Editorial Board, Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life, 2017- ;
- Editorial Board, Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World, 2007-
Editorial Board, International Affairs, Chatham House, London. (2008 -2015 )
- Editorial Board, Political Science Quarterly. (2008- )
- Middle East Studies Association of North America
:
- President, 2006.
- 1999-2004. Editor, The International Journal of Middle East Studies (Published by Cambridge University Press for the Middle East Studies Association of North America).
- 1998 Program Committee chair, MESA annual conference
- 1996, 1989 Officer Nominating Committee
- 1991, Book Award Committee, Middle East Studies Association
- 1988-1992 Book Review Editor, International Journal of Middle East Studies
- Society for Iranian Studies
Council, 1987-1989
Other
Editorial Board, 1991-97
- 2003- Editor, H-Mideast-Politics Electronic Forum.
- 1995-2000 Editorial Board, Critique
- 1993-1996 Social Science Research Council: Joint Committee on the Near and Middle East
- 1993 Columbia University, Middle East Institute: Outside Reviewer.
- 1992-1994 Eastern Consortium of Middle East Centers: Chairman, Persian-Turkish Summer Programs
- 1992-1995 American Institute of Iranian Studies: Board of Directors
- 1992 American Council of Learned Societies: Fellowship Selection Committee