Dr. Sarah Ghabrial

Biography

Sarah Ghabrial is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Concordia University. Her research focuses on the intersections of modern state law and social difference, particularly through colonial and postcolonial perspectives. Ghabrial's work emphasizes the 19th-century North Africa and France in the context of the modern Mediterranean world. She has published in notable journals such as the Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies and Law & History Review. Her ongoing monograph, which is based on her dissertation, investigates the interactions of state and non-state law within colonial Algeria from 1870 to 1930. Ghabrial was awarded the Canadian Historical Association's John Bullen Thesis Prize for her dissertation and served as a Visiting Fellow at Princeton University. She also held a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Columbia University, focusing on the colonial legal system in Algeria. Ghabrial advocates for decolonial approaches in her teaching and supervision, aiming to engage students with radical and reciprocal learning strategies. Among her teaching responsibilities, she offers courses on critical border studies, Islamic law, and historical theory. Ghabrial's published works contribute to discussions on race, law, and the implications of colonial histories on contemporary border policing and legal practices.

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