Heather J. Sharkey

Heather J. Sharkey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Princeton University, an M.Phil. in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Durham, and a B.A. in Anthropology from Yale University. Her research focuses on Middle Eastern history, cultural studies, colonialism, and religious minorities, with a particular emphasis on Sudan, Egypt, and North Africa. She has held visiting positions at institutions like the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris and the University of Groningen.

Her awards include the 2006 Carnegie Scholar designation and the 2011 Charles Ludwig Distinguished Teaching Award. She has contributed to interdisciplinary projects such as the Wiki Education Foundation's 'Humanities and Social Justice' Initiative and is currently an Oliver Smithies Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford.

Sharkey's teaching spans topics like Middle Eastern history, North African colonialism, nationalism, and religious relations. Her research integrates historical analysis with cultural studies, exploring themes such as missionary encounters, language politics, and diaspora experiences. She has authored or edited books including Living with Colonialism and A History of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East, and her work has been translated into Arabic.

Her recent projects include studies on Sudanese global migrations, transnational religious identities, and the history of Arabic Bible translations. She actively engages in public-facing scholarship and pedagogy, emphasizing digital tools like Scalar for collaborative research.