Dr. Shady Nasser

Biography

Shady H. Nasser is an Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. He teaches courses on Arabic literature and Islamic Civilizations. Nasser obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Arabic Islamic studies under the supervision of Wolfhart Heinrichs, completing his degree in 2011. He has previously served as a University Lecturer in Classical Arabic studies at the University of Cambridge, UK, where he was involved with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. His research interests focus on Qur’anic studies, particularly the history and transmission of the text, and its reception within early Muslim communities. He also explores Pre-Islamic and early Islamic poetry, Akhbār literature, and the transmission of Ḥadith. Nasser's published works include significant contributions to the understanding of variant readings of the Qur’ān, the grammatical blunders of Qur’ān reciters, and the historical akhbār within Arabic literature. His scholarly output reflects a deep engagement with both the textual and cultural facets of Islamic literature.

Research Interests

Experience