Melani McAlister is Professor of American Studies and International Affairs at the George Washington University, where she has been a faculty member since 1996. Her research and teaching focus on transnational U.S. history, religion and politics, media and cultural history, and U.S. engagements with the Middle East and Africa. She is a leading scholar in the cultural dimensions of American foreign relations and evangelical internationalism. Education: PhD in American Studies, Brown University, 1996 BA in International Affairs, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1984 (Morehead Scholar) Her research interests include: Transnational U.S. History and Global Visions Religion and Politics, particularly Evangelical Christianity U.S.-Middle East and U.S.-Africa Cultural Encounters Media, Popular Culture, and Digital Humanities Humanitarianism and Affective Politics in the Cold War Postcolonial and Decolonial Solidarity Movements McAlister’s recent publications reveal a sustained engagement with the cultural history of American foreign policy, the global circulation of religious and artistic expressions, and the emotional and moral frameworks shaping U.S. internationalism. Her work spans books, edited volumes, journal articles, and public scholarship in major outlets like The New York Times and The Atlantic. She has pioneered digital humanities projects such as Remembering Biafra and the GWU Covid and Culture Project , demonstrating a commitment to public and collaborative scholarship. Scientific Awards and Fellowships: Harvard-Radcliffe Fellow (2023–24) NEH Fellowship Fellow, Davis Center for Historical Studies, Princeton Faculty Fellow, Annenberg School, University of Pennsylvania Fellow, Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton Morehead Scholar, UNC-Chapel Hill Advising and Grants: While no direct student advisees are listed, McAlister has supervised graduate students through GWU’s American Studies PhD program and offers detailed advice on graduate education. She has led grant-funded projects including the NEH-supported Remembering Biafra and has received institutional and national fellowships supporting her research. She co-edits major scholarly volumes and serves on editorial boards of American Historical Review , Modern American History , and Diplomatic History . Labs and Research Teams: McAlister directs digital history initiatives and collaborative research projects. She led the Remembering Biafra project, which involved a major conference and digital archive. She also co-edited a special issue of American Quarterly titled From Anarchy to Chaos: Generations of Empire , assembling a broad scholarly team. Her current work on The Art of Solidarity involves transnational cultural case studies and builds on collaborative networks in American Studies.
