"Engaging the Muslim World"

8:00 PM Monday, December 07, 2009
University Center Ballroom

A heavily published scholar and a much sought-after commentator on Islamic politics and culture, Professor Cole will discuss his latest research on the tormented relationship between the West and the Muslim world.

"Iraqi Politics on the Eve of the Election: Prospects for Obama's Disengagement"

3:10 PM Monday, December 07, 2009
Gallagher Business Building 123

You are cordially invited to attend a seminar with  Juan R. I. Cole, a leading expert in this country on Islam. After earning a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at UCLA in 1984, he began teaching at the University of Michigan. He has taught in the History department there ever since, offering courses on the modern history of the Middle East and on South Asia. One of the courses he most regularly teaches is America and Middle Eastern Wars. From 1999-2004 he edited the flagship publication of the Middle East Studies Association, The International Journal of Middle East Studies. He has written about three broad areas: the social and cultural history of modern Egypt, the religious and cultural history of modern Iran and Iraq, and religion in South Asia. His publications include:

• Engaging the Muslim World (2009)
• Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East (2007)
• Sacred Space and Holy War: The Politics, Culture, and History of Shi'ite Islam (2002)
• Modernity and the Millennium: The Genesis of the Baha'i Faith in the Nineteenth Century (1998)
• Colonialism and Revolution in the Middle East: Social and Cultural Origins of Egypt's Urabi Movement (1993)
• Roots of North Indian Shi'ism in Iran and Iraq: Religion and State in Awadh, 1722-1859 (1988)

In all of this work, he has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context.

A much sought-after commentator, Professor Cole has been a regular guest on PBS's Lehrer News Hour and also has appeared on ABC Nightly News, Nightline, the Today Show, Charlie Rose, Anderson Cooper 360, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Democracy Now, and many others. He also has a regular column on Salon.com. His blog, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion is a leading source of public information about the Middle East.