معرفی
Elizabeth Urban is an Assistant Professor of the Islamic World at West Chester University of Pennsylvania's Department of History. She specializes in early Islamic history, focusing on social identity, slavery, and Quranic studies. Her research examines processes of identity construction in post-conquest Islamic societies, particularly through the lens of mawālī (non-Arab converts) and gender dynamics. She holds a PhD from the University of Chicago's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
Education:
- PhD, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago (2012)
- MA, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago (2006)
- BA, Religious Studies, Rice University (2004)
Research interests include the social and political implications of slavery in early Islam, the role of female figures like Hajar and Mariya, and the historiography of early Islamic conquests. Her work challenges traditional narratives by emphasizing marginalized voices and analyzing racialized categories in medieval sources.
Awards include the Whiting Dissertation-Year Fellowship and the University of Chicago Century Fellowship. She has published in Journal of Qur'anic Studies, History Compass, and Encyclopedia of Empire.
Teaching focuses on global Islamic history, gender studies, and medieval Middle Eastern societies. She has organized panels on cultural memory in early Islam and contributed to projects on Arabic language pedagogy.
