Dr. Adam Mestyan

Biography

Adam Mestyan is a historian specializing in the modern Middle East and serves as the Ford Foundation Professor in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, specifically within the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. His research and teaching focus on the globalization and wartime experiences that have shaped Arab societies and cultures, particularly in Egypt, Syria, and the Red Sea region, from the late Ottoman Empire period. Mestyan is the author of several significant books, including 'Modern Arab Kingship: Remaking Ottoman Political Order in the Interwar Middle East' (Princeton, 2023) and 'Arab Patriotism: Ideology, Culture, and Power in Late Ottoman Egypt' (Princeton, 2017). His current research interests encompass new imperial history, twentieth-century Middle Eastern Arabic cultures, and the economic life intertwined with environmental aspects of business. He has been involved in Islamic/Arabic digital humanities projects focusing on various aspects of Arabic history and periodicals. Prior to his appointment at Harvard, he taught at Duke University for nine years. His extensive research has received support from multiple grants and fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Harvard Society of Fellows.

Research Interests

Experience