Iman Mersal

Iman Mersal is an Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. She holds a PhD and MA from Cairo University. Her work bridges poetry, translation, and literary scholarship, with notable publications in both Arabic and English. She teaches courses including Beginners' Arabic I for Heritage Learners, Intermediate Arabic I and II, and Special Topics in Arabic and Modern Languages. Mersal's research focuses on modern Arabic poetry, cultural critique, and translation studies. She has received the prestigious Shaykh Zayed Award for Literature (2021) for her non-fiction work Fi Athar Enayat al-Zayyat.

• Education:
  • PhD, Cairo University
  • MA, Cairo University
• Research Interests: Arabic literature, poetry translation, cultural studies, modern Arabic poetry, literary criticism, translation theory.
• Recent Courses:
  • ARAB 113: Beginners' Arabic I
  • ARAB 211/212: Intermediate Arabic
  • ARAB/MLCS 399: Special Topics

Her poetry collections like The Threshold (2022) and These Are Not Oranges, My Love (2008) have been widely translated. Mersal's non-fiction work explores themes of memory, motherhood, and cultural identity. She has held academic appointments continuously since at least 2021, with courses scheduled up to Winter 2026.