David Bertaina

David Bertaina serves as a Professor in the History Department at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), maintaining an office in UHB 3059 and contactable via phone (217-206-8412) or email (dbert3@uis.edu). His teaching portfolio spans critical historical periods and interfaith dynamics, including courses on Caesar to Charlemagne, Qur'an to Crusades, Christian-Muslim Encounters, Islamic Civilization, and the History of Christmas.

Professor Bertaina's research centers on the religious history of the late antique and medieval Mediterranean world, with concentrated focus on Christian-Muslim intellectual encounters and polemics. His scholarship examines how medieval Christians and Muslims shaped mutual perceptions through theological debates, conversion narratives, and cultural exchanges, particularly within Fatimid Egypt and medieval Iberia. Additionally, he investigates the historical evolution of Christmas traditions as a lens for understanding religious syncretism and cultural continuity.

His recent publications demonstrate consistent thematic depth across two primary trajectories: Arabic Christian perspectives on Islam (evident in his 2022 monograph on Bulus ibn Raja and related articles analyzing Fatimid controversies) and the cultural anthropology of Christmas (exemplified by his Oxford Handbook contribution). These works collectively highlight transregional intellectual networks connecting the Mediterranean, Near East, and Europe during the medieval period.