Nelly Hanna

Nelly Hanna is a Distinguished University Professor at the Sheikh Hassan Abbas Sharbatly Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations at The American University in Cairo (AUC), where she has taught full-time since 1991. She has held visiting positions at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (May-June 1998), Harvard University (January-June 2001), and Waseda University, Tokyo (December 2008-January 2009).

Education

• Doctorate d’Etat, University of Aix en Provence, France

Research Interests

Professor Hanna specializes in Ottoman-era Arab world history (1500-1800) with deep focus on economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Her pioneering work began with archival analysis of 17th-18th century Cairo middle-class housing using court records and architectural studies, which evolved into biographical research on a 17th century merchant. This expanded her scope to Mediterranean and global historical frameworks, integrating Egypt into broader economic and cultural narratives beyond regional boundaries.