Naghmeh Sohrabi of Brandeis University unpacks the rise of nationalism in the Middle East, highlighting contending visions of national ideology while offering a reminder that nationhood was not always a foregone conclusion across the region.
Guest Bios
Naghmeh Sohrabi
Naghmeh Sohrabi is the Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor of Middle East History and the Associate Director for Research at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. She is the author of the book Taken for Wonder: Nineteenth Century Travel Accounts from Iran to Europe, and several articles on Iranian history and contemporary politics. She is currently writing a book on the experience of the 1979 revolution in Iran.
Katie Reusch
Katie Reusch teaches Social Studies at Andover High School in Andover, MA.
Free Resources and Featured Books
Learn more about Nationhood in the Middle East with these free online resources:
“Legacies: Middle East Between the World Wars” and “Legacies: The Era of Independence” in Teaching the Middle East: A Resource Guide for American Educators developed by TeachMideast.
“Empires to Nation-States” in the University of Chicago’s Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators.
The “Empire and Nation” cluster, a set of three lessons for the high school history classroom that explores the legacy and decline of the Ottoman Empire and the development of statehood in the region. The cluster was developed as part of the Rethinking the Region: New Approaches to 9-12 U.S. Curriculum on the Middle East and North Africa educational initiative.
“Fall of the Ottomans, Rise of the Nationalists” in Middle East Teaching Tools developed by Portland State University.
Episode Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Qatar Foundation International, which provided the seed funding and support to develop and launch this podcast and to produce this episode.
We are grateful to Naghmeh Sohrabi and Katie Reusch for generously sharing their expertise.
Image Credits
“25 piastres,” by Ronald Chan, used under Public Domain Mark 1.0.
Featured Music
“Kim Arar,” by Wind of Anatolia, from the album Live at the 2014 Golden Festival, used with permission from Wind of Anatolia. The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Line Exchange,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Marble Run, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Three Stories,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Skittle, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Greyleaf Willow,”by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Awaiting on Arrival,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Tumblehome,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Flashing Runner,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Building the Sled,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Tiptoe Treadline,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.
“Roundpine,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Resolute, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.