Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah

Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah is an Assistant Professor of History at Erskine College and director of the International Studies program. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and teaches courses on the Middle East, Asia, and the Cold War. Her research focuses on emotions in historical contexts, analyzing police confessions, courtroom trials, and anti-colonial protest movements. She directs the Center for Behavioral and Cognitive History (BACH), which bridges historiography with conflict resolution training. Previously, she managed the journal al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā and contributed to digital history initiatives like 'Beyond Golden Age and Decline.'

• Education:
• B.A., Eastern Washington University
• M.A., George Mason University
• Ph.D., University of Maryland

Her research spans archives in Israel, Egypt, France, the UK, and the Netherlands. Her books include Revolutionary Emotions in Cold War Egypt (Bloomsbury) and Decolonizing Emotions in French Algeria (I.B. Tauris), exploring how emotions shape political narratives and anti-colonial movements. Publicly, she delivers talks on political violence and misinformation, including a TED Talk with 1.8M views and an NBC segment on fear responses.

Abu Sarah leads study-abroad programs and archaeological tours across Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Syria, Turkey, and Vietnam. She also enjoys scuba diving.