Michael Cooperson

Michael Cooperson is a Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), within the Humanities Division. He specializes in pre-modern Arabic literature, time-travel fiction, and cultural history of the early Abbasid period. His research includes a visual-narrative history of Arabic literature and global time-travel narratives. He has collaborated on studies of Akritic poetry and non-native Arabic learners. His courses cover pre-modern Arabic literature, Maltese linguistics, and translation practices. Cooperson holds a PhD from Harvard University (1994) and has authored/co-edited multiple books and articles on Arabic literature, Islamic culture, and Maltese studies. His work spans interdisciplinary approaches to Near Eastern literatures and cultural history.

Education:

• PhD, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University (1994)
• MA, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University (1991)
• Certificate, Center for Arabic Study Abroad, American University of Cairo (1988)
• BA, Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard College (1987)

Research Interests:

• Pre-modern Arabic literature
• Time travel as a literary device
• Maltese language and culture
• Abbasid cultural history
• Literary translation

Teaching:

• Undergraduate courses: Reading pre-modern Arabic literature, survey of Arabic literature in translation, Maltese linguistics, Arabic translation practices.
• Graduate seminars: Pre-modern Arabic literature, including African and Indian subcontinent texts.

Publications: Over 50 books and articles, including co-edited volumes on Arabic literary culture and festschriften for scholars like Wolfhart Heinrichs. Notable works: Classical Arabic Biography (2000), Impostures (2020), and studies on time-travel narratives.