معرفی
Nancy Sultan serves as Professor and Director of Greek and Roman Studies at Illinois Wesleyan University, a position she has held continuously since 1993. She has established herself as a significant figure in Classics through her research, teaching, and leadership in developing the Greek and Roman Studies program at IWU.
Dr. Sultan's research spans multiple domains within Classics, with particular focus on Greek literature, Roman studies, ancient mythology, and the reception of classical traditions in modern culture. Her scholarly interests prominently feature themes of exile and loss in Greek tradition, as seen in works like Exile and the Poetics of Loss in Greek Tradition, and gender studies in antiquity, particularly regarding women's laments in Greek poetry and tragedy. She has made distinctive contributions to understanding how classical ideals intersect with contemporary culture through her series of publications examining Jacqueline Kennedy's relationship with classical imagery.
Her publication record reveals consistent engagement with both traditional philological approaches and contemporary theoretical frameworks. Sultan demonstrates particular expertise in Roman comedy performance, as evidenced by her multi-year project on Pseudolus at the IWU Ludi Megalenses, and ethical dimensions of cultural heritage, notably through her writings on the Elgin Marbles controversy. Her scholarship consistently bridges ancient texts with modern concerns, showing how classical traditions continue to inform contemporary political discourse and cultural identity.
At Illinois Wesleyan University, Dr. Sultan has played a pivotal role in building and sustaining the Classics program, as reflected in her publication Build It and They Will Come: A Dream of a Field (of Classics) at IWU. She has actively engaged with university leadership, including President Myers, on matters related to academic collections and intellectual life on campus, as documented in her 2016 oral history interview where she discussed Myers' curiosity about learning as infectious and important for the university community.
