Sa'ed Atshan

Sa'ed Atshan is an Associate Professor at Swarthmore College, where he serves as Chair of the Department of Peace & Conflict Studies. He is also affiliated with the Gender & Sexuality Studies and Sociology & Anthropology programs.

• Education: Joint PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies (2013) with a medical anthropology emphasis from Harvard University; MA in Social Anthropology (2010); MPP (2008) from Harvard Kennedy School; BA (2006) from Swarthmore College.
• Research Focus: Examines health and humanitarianism, Palestinian LGBTQ activism, Christian minorities in the Middle East, and intersections of race, Christianity, and colonialism in U.S.-Palestine/Israel contexts.
• Publications: Author of Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique (2020); co-author of The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians (2020); co-editor of Reel Gender: Palestinian and Israeli Cinema (2022). Forthcoming book Paradoxes of Humanitarianism (2025) explores medical humanitarianism in the Palestinian Territories.
• Awards: Recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, Andrew Mellon Foundation, and prestigious fellowships including Paul and Daisy Soros and Kathryn Davis.
• Leadership: Current President of the Association of Middle East Anthropology (AMEA); former editorial roles at International Journal of Middle East Studies and Journal of Palestine Studies.