Karam Dana (he/him)

Professor

Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence & Transformative Research

Karam Dana (he/him)

Professor

Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence & Transformative Research

Education

Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington
M.A.I.S. International Studies: Middle East Studies, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
B.A. Economics; Political Science: Political Economy, University of Washington

Courses

  • BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research
  • BIS 374 Middle East Politics
  • BIS 490 Race, Ethnicity and Politics
  • BIS 490 Islam and Muslims in Western Contexts
  • BPOLST 598 US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Teaching Interests

I am constantly inspired by my students’ active and meaningful participation in the classroom, which I believe is crucial for deep learning and intellectual growth. My teaching approach emphasizes rigorous and creative engagement with diverse primary sources, supported by an inclusive, multicultural, and globally focused antiracist pedagogy.

 

I am dedicated to building a strong community of learners and fostering a classroom environment that encourages sustained dialogue, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful connections across differences. To ground learning in both historical and contemporary real-world challenges, I employ various pedagogical strategies, including case studies, reflective writing, small-group discussions, and problem-based learning. In each course, I clearly communicate how assignments are designed to enhance analytical skills, deepen conceptual understanding, and connect theory to practice by addressing complex social, political, and ethical issues.

 

My continuous professional development is driven by intentional reflection on my teaching practice and a steadfast commitment to effective and innovative forms of knowledge transfer through critical and creative pedagogical approaches. I actively engage students as co-creators of knowledge, encouraging them to develop clarity, confidence, and intellectual independence in their thinking and expression. I was honored to receive the 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) at the University of Washington.

Research and Scholarship Interests

Professor Dana is a scholar of transnational political identities whose research examines their evolution and impact on civic engagement and political participation. Anchored in the study of political identities and transnationalism, his work focuses on Muslim Americans in the United States and Palestinians both in Palestine and across transnational spaces. He investigates the intersections of identity, racialization, religion, and politics within their broader social and historical contexts, with sustained attention to how ethno-, sociopolitical, and religious identities are formed, institutionalized, contested, and transformed under shifting socio-economic and political conditions. In recognition of the significance of this body of work, he was the recipient of the University of Washington Bothell Distinguished Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activities Award (2023).

 

His book, *To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States* (Columbia University Press), analyzes changing perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians within U.S. society and politics. 足彩app哪个是正规的 book argues that the increasingly visible support for the Palestinian cause, and the expansion of solidarity movements across the United States, must be understood in relation to significant societal and political transformations that have unfolded since the late 1990s. It was longlisted for the 2025 Palestine Book Awards.

 

Professor Dana served as co–Principal Investigator of 足彩app哪个是正规的 Muslim American Public Opinion Survey (MAPOS), which remains, nearly two decades later, one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of Muslims in the United States. He was senior co-director of the 2020 Muslim American Oversample and the 2024 MENA Oversample of the Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS). He has also led 足彩app哪个是正规的 Middle East Public Opinion Project (MEPOP) and directed more than a dozen public opinion surveys across the Arab world. 足彩app哪个是正规的se include the 2013 “Palestinian Public Opinion Survey,” which examined Palestinian attitudes toward socio-economic conditions and political issues twenty years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, and the 2022 “Survey of American Views Toward Foreign Policy and International Affairs Twenty Years Post-9/11.”

 

In recognition of the impact of his scholarship, the University of Washington Board of Regents approved his appointment as the inaugural holder of the first named professorship established at University of Washington Bothell. He has secured research funding from various foundations, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Social Science Research Council, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

 

In addition to his appointment at UW Bothell, Professor Dana is an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science, the Department of Sociology, and a core faculty in the Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies Ph.D. Program, at the University of Washington Seattle.

  • Outstanding Service and Leadership Award. Arab Community of the Pacific Northwest. Salaam Cultural Museum. 2024. Seattle, Washington.
  • Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Award (DRSCA). 2023. University of Washington Bothell.
  • Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA). 2018. University of Washington Bothell.
  • Worthington Distinguished Scholar. 2012-2013. University of Washington Bothell.
  • “Most Transformative Class” Award. 2010-2011. Department of History. College of Arts and Sciences. Tufts University.
  • Best Paper Award of 2008 Conference (co-authored). 足彩app哪个是正规的 American Political Science Association (WPSA). Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section.
  • Longlisted, Palestine Book Award. 2025. (To Stand with Palestine: transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States).
  • Research Fellow,?Dubai Initiative, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2010-2012.
  • Associate,?Center for American Political Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, 2011-2012.
  • Fellow,?Committee on Social Studies, Harvard University, 2011-2012.
  • Visiting Professor, Department of History & 足彩app哪个是正规的 Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 2010-2011.
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Islam in the West Program, Harvard University, 2009-2010.