Margaret Litvin

Margaret Litvin is Associate Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature at Boston University's Department of World Languages & Literatures. Her scholarship bridges Arabic literary studies, Shakespearean performance history, and Russian-Arab cultural intersections, with a focus on transnational adaptations and political narratives.

Litvin’s research explores:

• Shakespearean reinterpretations in Arab theatre as vehicles for political critique
• Cold War-era cultural exchanges between Soviet institutions and Arab intellectuals
• Diasporic identity in contemporary migration narratives
• Arabic literary translation and its role in cross-cultural dialogue

Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with themes of power, identity, and cultural translation. Recent works analyze Soviet dormitory novels, Nordic refugee theatre, and Tolstoy’s political legacy in Arab intellectual circles, reflecting a sustained examination of how literature negotiates ideological boundaries.

Litvin actively contributes to global Shakespeare studies through edited volumes like Shakespeare & the Arab World and documentary projects such as Russian-Arab Worlds, which reconstructs historical encounters through primary sources.