Dr. Joel Walker

Biography

Joel Thomas Walker is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington. His academic interests encompass a broad range of topics within the Late Antiquity period, including the history of the Sasanian Empire and its Christian communities. He earned his Ph.D. in History from Princeton University in 1998, with earlier degrees from Rice University and Princeton. Walker teaches courses that combine texts, art, and archaeology to illuminate the cultural frameworks of ancient societies. Notable courses include surveys of the Ancient World and smaller lectures focusing on topics such as Ancient Iran and the Mongol Empire. His research output includes publications that delve into various aspects of ancient history, including a book titled "Legend of Mar Qardagh: Narrative of Christian Heroism in Late Antique Iraq" published by the University of California Press in 2006. This work sought to elucidate Sasanian Christian culture within the wider context of social and political traditions in the region. Walker is currently engaged in researching the history and imagination of arts and economies in the Ancient Late Antique World, as well as exploring animal-human relations in historical contexts. His teaching approach is varied, appealing to students across the undergraduate and graduate spectrum, including collaborations with departments such as Near Eastern Languages and Civilization.

Research Interests

Experience