Erik E. Freas

Erik E. Freas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), City University of New York. Previously, he taught at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Biology from Dickinson College (1987), an M.A. in Anthropology from New York University (1993), and a Ph.D. in Modern Middle East History from the University of St. Andrews (2006).

His research focuses on the evolution of Muslim-Christian Arab relations in Palestine during the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods, examining how these dynamics shaped Palestinian-Arab identity. Current projects include studies on Christian Arab employment favoritism under the British Mandate and the political appropriation of Jerusalem's Haram al-Sharif by Israeli and Palestinian nationalist movements.

Awards and Grants:

• UIS Summer Competitive Scholarly Research Grant (2008): Research for a monograph in London and Jerusalem.
• PSC-CUNY Award (2010): Funding for archival work in London.
• BMCC Faculty Development Grant (2014): Support for monograph research in London and Jerusalem.