For more than a decade, I have been conducting ethnographic field research with Kurdish artists in the KURDISH REGION OF IRAQ. Over the years, ART has become my way to interrogate the contemporary products of a uniquely Kurdish heritage in Iraq.
My RESEARCH is situated at the intersection of decolonial theory, activist art, conflict, and culture. Critically considering the production of artwork, my research utilizes the work of Kurdish activist-artists to better understand the socio-cultural nuances of Kurdish nation building.
I engage with Kurdish activist-art because, in Iraq, Kurdish artists stand at the frontlines of several CRITICAL CONFLICTS. Some are direct, military conflicts with external forces such as ISIS. Some are internal conflicts over power relationships between Kurdish political parties. Others take the form of struggles to resist ongoing colonialism and to decolonize societal, cultural, and governmental structures within Kurdish society. Still others resist traditional patterns of leadership that have enshrined the authoritarian rule of a few, producing significant structural inequalities, continuing colonial legacies, and impeding the growth of democracy.
My work is INTERDISCIPLINARY and engages broadly with the disciplines of Middle East Studies, International Conflict Management, Anthropology, and Human Rights to consider the intersections where these contiguous fields engage with the cultural dimensions of conflict and how meaning translates into ideas and behaviors, potentially, producing moments of conflict.
Education
Ph.D., International Conflict Management, Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, GA, May 2018
Dissertation: "Art & Agency: Transforming Relationships of Power in Iraq Kurdistan"
M.A., Anthropology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, May 2002
Master’s Thesis: "The Arabs: An American Story"
Professional Experience
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2024 (Fall) Coverdell Visiting Scholar (Department of Government & Sociology), Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, Georgia.
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2022 – 2024: Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia
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2021- 2022: Visiting Lecturer, Anthropology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
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2021 - Adjunct Instructor, International Relations, Piedmont University, Demorest, Georgia
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2021 - Current: Managing Editor, Journal of Intersectionality and Zanj: Journal of Critical Global South Studies
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2019 – Current: Research Fellow, Zanj: Global South Research Consortium
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2018 – 2019: Lecturer, Anthropology, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia
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2017 – 2018: Adjunct Instructor, First Year Studies, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
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2016 – 2017: Instructor of English Language, Kurd Genius School, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
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2009 – 2018: Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
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2010 – 2011: Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology, Benedictine University, Chicago, Illinois
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2008: Consultant, Resource Development (Grant Writer), Girls on the Run Forsyth, Inc., Suwannee, Georgi
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2003 – 2007: Assistant to the Director, Middle East Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
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2003: Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology, Georgia Perimeter College, Decatur, Georgia
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2002: Assistant to the Director of Development, Refugee Family Services, Clarkston, Georgia
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2000 – 2001: Curator / Program Coordinator for “The Arabs: An American Story” Symposium and Exhibit grant project at International Museum of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia