Nabil Al-Tikriti
Associate Professor
Office: Monroe 230
Phone: 540.654.1481
Email: naltikri@umw.edu
Nabil Al-Tikriti, Professor of Middle East History, earned a Ph.D. (2004) and M.A. (1996) in Ottoman history from the University of Chicago, an MIA (1990) from Columbia University, and a BSFS (1988) in Arab studies from Georgetown University. He also studied at the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad’s advanced Arabic language immersion program at The American University in Cairo in 1990-91, and the advanced Turkish language immersion program at Bogaziçi University in Istanbul in 1994 and 1995.
Dr. Al-Tikriti’s publications on early modern Ottoman intellectual history, contemporary Iraqi cultural patrimony, higher education, international politics, and forced migration have appeared in a number of journals, edited volumes, and web reports. He has received several grants and scholarships, including three Fulbright fellowships and a 2011 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)/American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) grant.
He has served as a polling station supervisor or election observer for multiple elections since 1997 in Bosnia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Albania, Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Türkiye for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In conjunction with his interest in peace and conflict, Dr. Al-Tikriti researched the effects on Iraqi civil society of the 2003 Anglo-American invasion after being awarded a 2007-2008 Jennings Randolph Fellowship at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington D.C.
From 1993 to 2017, Dr. Al-Tikriti completed short term assignments as a context and liaison officer, administrator, and logistician for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-Doctors Without Borders), an international humanitarian aid organization that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 75 countries. He worked in Jordan, Turkey, Albania, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Mediterranean rescue, and his duties included jointly conducting an exploratory mission determining potential Médecins Sans Frontières activity in Iraq; negotiating with community and clan leaders concerning team security and staff contracts; serving as field liaison with United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, and local government personnel; and controlling personnel issues for more than 150 local staff colleagues in a war zone. From 2011 to 2017, he completed two elected terms on the MSF-USA Board of Directors, culminating as Vice President in 2016-17.
For full copies of Dr. Al-Tikriti’s publications, contact him at the email address above, visit academia.edu or visit his personal page.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2004. Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
- M.A., University of Chicago, 1996. Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
- M.I.A., Columbia University, 1990. International and Public Affairs.
- B.S., Georgetown University, 1988. Foreign Service and Developmental Economics.
Courses
FSEM 100R4: Forbidden Texts
Hist 300D5: From Empires to Nation-States
Hist 337: Medieval Islamic Civilization
Hist 338: From Mongols to Ottomans
Hist 339: Modern Middle East History
Hist 378: World War II in World History Hist 385: History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Hist 419: The Great War in the Middle East
Hist 432: Ottoman Legacies
Hist 471A2: Problems in Genocide Studies
Select Publications
“A Contrarian Voice: Şehzade Korkud’s Engagement with Communal Kalām in the Articulation of Ottoman Sunnism.” In Tijana Krstić and Derin Terzioğlu, eds., Historicizing Sunni Islam in the Ottoman Empire, c. 1450- c. 1750. Islamic History and Civilization Series #177. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2020, pp. 62-100.
“Autopsy of Erdoǧan’s Istanbul Defeat.” In Middle East Report Online, 12 September 2019.
“Turkish Voters Upset Erdoǧan’s Competitive Authoritarianism.” In Middle East Report Online, 22 April 2019.
“Civilians in Mosul’s Battle of Annihilation.” In Suffering and the Limits of Relief. Ed. Michelle Woodward. Middle East Report 286, Volume 487:1, pp. 28-30, Spring 2018. https://merip.org/2018/10/civilians-in-mosuls-battle-of-annihilation/.
“An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ.” In International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium Proceedings / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu Bildirileri. Eds. Turan Gökçe, Mikail Acıpınar, İrfan Kokdaş, and Özer Küpeli. Izmir: İzmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2017, pp. 127-149.
For more information and a complete list of publications, see Dr. Al-Tikriti at academia.edu and at his personal site.
