Karam Dana

Professor

Karam Dana

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

The Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence and Transformative Research

Adjunct Professor, Department of Political Science. UW Seattle 

Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology. UW Seattle 
Core Faculty, The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. UW Seattle 
Affiliated Faculty, Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity. UW Seattle 

Recipient of the University of Washington Bothell Distinguished Teaching Award, 2018
Recipient of the University of Washington Bothell Distinguished Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activities Award, 2023

Phone: 425-352-5284
Email: karam@uw.edu
Mailing: Box 358530, 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011-8246

Teaching

I am inspired and continuously informed by the active and meaningful participation of students in the classroom, where I place heavy emphasis on rigorous yet creative engagement with diverse primary sources. Inclusive, multi-cultural, and globally-focused education is at the core of my teaching philosophy and practice.

I strive to build a community of learners and a classroom environment that nurtures rich dialogue and strengthens points of connection across difference. I utilize multiple strategies and approaches including case studies, debate, reflective essays, small group discussions and problem-based teaching to root learning in current and historical “real-world” challenges. In all of my classes, I explain how each assignment enhances our understanding and potential solution of a real-life situation or problem.

My ongoing transformation as a teacher is a function of reflecting on my teaching praxis and my commitment to the most effective forms of knowledge transfer, through implementing creative critical pedagogies. As an instructor, I engage my students and encourage them to develop and refine their critical and creative thinking abilities. I have made a lifelong commitment to transformative teaching and learning. I was honored, humbled, and grateful to be selected as the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award at the University of Washington.

Recent Courses Taught

BIS 374 Middle East Politics 
BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research 
BIS 490 Race, Ethnicity and Politics 
BIS 490 Islam and Muslims in Western Contexts 
BIS 490 Politics of the Arab ‘Spring’ 
BPOLST 598 US Foreign Policy in the Middle East 
BIS 499 Portfolio Capstone 

Research/Scholarship

My scholarship explores the evolution of transnational political identities and their impact on civic engagement and political participation. As an interdisciplinary social scientist, I examine social and historical contexts related to religion, identity, and politics to provide answers to persisting social science questions. The overarching theme of my scholarly journey is centered on how ethno-, sociopolitical, and religious identities are formed, and how they evolve and transform under different socio-economic and political conditions. I have particular interests in the study of Palestine, and the study of Muslim Americans. 

My book, To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States (Columbia University Press), explores the evolving perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians within US society and politics. The book argues that the increasingly noticeable support for the Palestinian cause and the surge in solidarity in the US can be attributed, in part, to significant societal and political changes that have occurred since the late 1990s. 

I am the founding Director of The American Muslim Research Institute (AMRI), and the co-Principal Investigator of The Muslim American Public Opinion Survey (MAPOS), which remains one of the largest surveys of Muslims in the US, a decade on. I served as the senior co-director of the Muslim American Oversample of 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey. I have also led The Middle East Public Opinion Project (MEPOP) and directed more than a dozen public opinion surveys in the Arab world, including “The 2013 Palestinian Public Opinion Survey,” which explores Palestinian opinions and attitudes on various socio-economic conditions and political issues 20 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords.

I am honored that my scholarship has been recognized over its impact. UW Board of Regents approved my appointment to become the first holder of the first named-professorship to ever be established at UW Bothell, The Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professorship of Excellence and Transformative Research.

I have been able to secure funds to pursue my research around the world from various foundations and research funding agencies including the Carnegie Corporation, the Social Science Research Council, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

In addition to my duties at UW Bothell, I am an adjunct professor in the Departments of Political Science and Sociology at UW Seattle, and a core faculty in the Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies Ph.D. Program. 

Former Academic Appointments

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 & The 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.

Selected Publications

  • Dana, Karam and Matt Barreto. 2019. “American Muslims and the State: Contexts and Contentions.” Chapter in Brian Calfano, and Nazita Lajevardi’s “Understanding Muslim Political Life in America: Contested Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century.” Temple University Press.
  • Barreto, Matt and Karam Dana. 2019. “Best Practices for Gathering Public Opinion Data Among Muslim Americans.” Chapter in Brian Calfano, and Nazita Lajevardi’s “Understanding Muslim Political Life in America: Contested Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century.” Temple University Press.
  • Oskooii, Kassra, Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2019. “Beyond Generalized Ethnocentrism: Islam-Specific Beliefs and Prejudice toward Muslim Americans. “Politics, Groups, and Identity.” DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2019.1623053.
  • Chuhoud, Youssef, Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2019. “American Muslim Political Participation: Between Diversity and Cohesion. Journal of Politics and Religion.” DOI: 10.1017/S1755048318000858.
  • Dana, Karam. 2018. “What the United States Can Learn From Palestine: Defining Human Rights and Democracy in an International Context.” Journal of Civil and Human Rights. 4:2: 1-5.
  • Dana, Karam, Nazita Lajevardi, Kassra Oskooii, and Hannah Walker. 2018. “Veiled Politics: Experiences with Discrimination among American Muslim Women.” Journal of Politics and Religions. DOI: DOI:10.1017/S1755048318000287.
  • Ocampo, Angela X., Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2018. “The American Muslim Voter: Community Belonging and Political Participation.” Social Science Research: 72: 84-99. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.02.002
  • Dana, Karam. 2018 (2017 online). “Anti-Western Feelings in the Arab World and the Role of Exposure to the West: Rethinking Connections Through Public Opinion.” Territory, Politics, Governance. 6:3: 322-341. DOI: 10.1080/21622671.2017.1292946
  • Dana, Karam, Matt Barreto, and Bryan Wilcox-Archuleta. 2017. “The Political Incorporation of Muslims in America: The Mobilizing Role of Religiosity in Islam.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2:2: 170-200. DOI: doi:10.1017/rep.2017.4 2056-6085/17 
  • Dana, Karam. 2017. “Contextualizing Cynicism: Palestinian Public Opinion Towards Human Rights and Democracy.” Muslim Journal of Human Rights and Democracy. 14:1, 113-144. DOI: 10.1515/mwjhr-2016-0023
  • Dana, Karam. 2017. “The West Bank Apartheid/Separation Wall: Space, Punishment, and the Disruption of Social Continuity.” Geopolitics. 22: 4, 887-910. DOI: 10.1080/14650045.2016.1275576
  • Oskooii, Kassra and Karam Dana. 2018 (2017 online). “Muslims in Great Britain: The Impact of Mosque Attendance on Political Behaviour and Civic Engagement.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 44:9: 1479-1505. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2017.1330652
  • Dana, Karam. 2018 (2016 online). “Confronting Injustice Beyond Borders: Palestinian Identity and Nonviolent Resistance.” Politics, Groups, and Identities. 6:4: 529-552. DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2016.1229625
  • Dana, Karam and Hannah Walker. 2015. “Invisible Disasters: The Effects of Israeli Occupation on Palestinian Gender Roles.” Contemporary Arab Affairs. 8:4, 488-504.
  • Dana, Karam and Belal Salamah. 2015.  The Islamic Liberation Party: From Intellectual Awareness to Political Practice in Palestine and Beyond. Chapter in Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir in Palestine: Intellectual Foundation and Politics between Theory and Implementation. Pp. 119-150.
  • Dana, Karam. 2015. Review of “Why the West Fears Islam: An Exploration of Muslims in Liberal Democracies” by Jocelyne Cesari. International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol 47, No 4 (2015): 837-839.
  • Dana, Karam. 2014. Palestinian Youth Study: The Visible and Invisible Effects of Israeli Occupation. Y Global. Oslo, Norway.
  • Dana, Karam and Stephen Franklin. 2013. “Islam in America” in Lawrence Pintak and Stephen Franklin’s (Ed.) Islam for Journalists: A Primer on Covering Muslim Communities in America. Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Columbia, Missouri. Pp. 96-127.
  • Dana, Karam. 2012. “Negotiating Influence: The Economy, State Apparatus, and the Asad Regime.” A book review of Bassam Haddad’s Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience. Syrian Studies Association Bulletin. Vol 17, No 2 (2012): 30-31.
  • Dana, Karam and Stephen Franklin. 2011. “Islam and Muslims in America.” in Lawrence Pintak’s Islam and Main Street: A Crash Course for Domestic American Reporters. The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Center for Distance and Professional Education. Washington State University.
  • Dana, Karam, Matt Barreto and Kassra Oskooii. 2011. “Mosques as American Institutions: Mosque Attendance, Religiosity, and Integration into American Society.” Journal of Religions. 2:4: 504-524.
  • Dana, Karam. 2011. “Muslims in America: A profile.” The Dubai Initiative Paper Series. The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
  • Dana, Karam. 2011. “Political Economics: The Challenges of Economic Development in Palestine” The Dubai Initiative Paper Series. The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
  • Dana, Karam. 2011. Review of “The Cartoons that Shook the World” by Jyttee Klausen. Journal of Politics and Religion. 4(2): 390-392.