Dr. Dyala Hamzah

Biography

Dyala Hamzah is an Associate Professor of History at the Université de Montréal, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science and the Center for International Studies and Research. Hamzah's research interests focus on the processes of reform and centralization in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, particularly in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and North Africa, through a cultural and social perspective. She emphasizes the central role of the press and associations in the emergence of public spaces during the Arab Renaissance, exploring critical issues related to education, citizenship, and the colonial and post-colonial periods. Hamzah's work examines the institutional and curricular developments of mosque-universities such as al-Azhar, Zaytuna, and Qarawiyyin from the 18th century to the 1960s, analyzing the legacies of Islamic historiography and contemporary nationalism and Islamism. Her current research aims to contribute to the cultural history of Arab nationalism, defining key institutions such as volunteer associations and secret societies, as well as school textbooks. Additionally, she supervises theses on topics related to historical transformations in agriculture during the Egyptian colonization of Sudan, the perception of concentration camps in Cyrenaica, and micro-histories in North Africa and Indochina.

Research Interests

Experience