Timothy J. Fitzgerald

Dr. Timothy J. Fitzgerald is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at James Madison University. He specializes in Middle Eastern and world history, comparative imperial formations, and the practice of history.

• Ph.D., Harvard University

Research interests include the Mamluk-Ottoman transition in the Arab world, legal culture and institutions, violence in historical contexts, literacy studies, and Arabic and Turkish literatures. His work explores the social and legal dynamics of empire, focusing on the reception of Ottoman law in the Arab world.

Selected publications analyze topics such as the Ottoman conquest of Aleppo, violence in early Ottoman Syria, and the role of Sufi advice literature in governance. His book manuscript A Fearful State: Violence, Insecurity, and the Paradoxes of Empire in the Ottoman-Arab World examines systemic violence and imperial stability.

• Award for Faculty Excellence

Service roles include serving as First-Year Advisor, Faculty Advisor for Phi Alpha Theta, Professor in Residence at William Fleming High School, and instructor for the Lifelong Learning Institute.