Lital Abazon

Dr. Lital Abazon is an Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature of the Middle East at Leiden University, specializing in Modern Hebrew literature. She holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and has conducted extensive research on multilingual literature’s role in challenging nationalist discourse. Her work examines conflicts between nationality, ethnicity, and language in Middle Eastern and Maghrebi literary works.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Yale University, 2023
• M.A. (summa cum laude) in Literature, Tel Aviv University, 2015
• B.A. (magna cum laude) in Humanities and Arts, Tel Aviv University, 2012

Research Interests: Dr. Abazon focuses on multilingual literature as a tool to critique monolingual nationalist agendas, exploring themes like postcolonial theory, psychoanalytic language theory, and translational studies. Her book project, Speaking Sovereignty, analyzes how multilingual texts propose inclusive citizenship models through fluid literary forms.

Awards:

• 2021 A. Owen Aldridge Essay Prize (ACLA)
• Multiple fellowships from Yale University and Tel Aviv University

Teaching & Affiliations: Teaches International Studies at Leiden and is affiliated with the Leiden Jewish Studies Network. She actively publishes peer-reviewed articles and literary works, including a short story nominated for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Prize.