معرفی
Sami Atassi is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University at Galveston, housed within the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies. He teaches undergraduate courses in English literature while pursuing interdisciplinary research that intersects American literature, postcolonial studies, and the emerging field of the blue humanities.
Education:
- Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature, Indiana University, 2023
- Master of Arts in English and American Literature, University of Houston, 2014
- Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas, 2012
Research Interests:
Atassi’s scholarship foregrounds satire and humor as critical lenses on empire, race, and maritime imaginaries. His work on Edgar Allan Poe re-reads gothic texts through Arabesque aesthetics and necropolitical satire, while his investigations into Herman Melville’s Clarel examine Muslim figures within American Romantic poetry. A second strand of research explores how antebellum racial performance resurfaces in contemporary horror film, linking nineteenth-century blackface minstrelsy to Jordan Peele’s cinematic critique. Bridging these inquiries is a commitment to postcolonial digital humanities, particularly the representation of Syria and Syrian diasporic voices across social media platforms.
Scholarly Output & Trends:
Across ten peer-reviewed articles and numerous conference presentations (2013-2024), Atassi consistently merges archival American literature with urgent present-day contexts—Syrian conflict, Black Lives Matter, and digital activism. His publications appear in leading journals such as Leviathan, The Edgar Allan Poe Review, and Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, evidencing a trajectory from early postcolonial readings of mystery fiction toward a sophisticated theorization of satire’s role in geopolitical critique.
Scientific Awards & Honors:
- J. Albert Robbins Prize in American Literature, Indiana University, 2022-2023
- Lawlis-Duchovnay Award, Indiana University, 2022
- Constance Rourke Prize, American Humor Studies Association, 2020
- Culbertson Chair in Writing Award, Indiana University, 2018
- Carnegie Travel Awards (2018 & 2016)
Grants & Fellowships:
- Albert Wertheim Fellowship, Indiana University, 2022-2023
- Sanders-Weber Fellowship, Indiana University, Spring 2022
- Teaching Fellowship, Indiana University, Fall 2021
- Dr. William Slaymaker Graduate Fellowship, Indiana University, Summer 2021
- Susan D. Gubar Summer Dissertation Research Fellowship, Indiana University, Summer 2020
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (Arabic & Islamic Studies), 2019-2020 & Summer 2016
Labs & Teams:
While no formal laboratory is listed, Atassi collaborates with interdisciplinary cohorts in American literature, performance studies, and digital humanities, often presenting co-authored work at national conferences such as the American Literature Association and the American Comparative Literature Association.
