About

How do notions of friendship, justice, and objectivity end up at the forefront of modern diplomacy and international thought? Would you expect to find these concepts in 18th century Islamic discourse?

My current research explores the role of Islam in the creation of modern diplomacy and international thought. To do so, I examine the lives and writings of Moroccan and Ottoman ambassadors who traveled throughout the 18th century Mediterranean. I explore their travelogues, correspondence, diplomatic manuals, and biographical dictionares to better understand how they thought about and practiced diplomacy.

My dissertation argues that Moroccan and Ottoman ambassadors justified their role in an increasingly connected international arena by developing their own, modern understanding of diplomacy. I trace their engagement with concepts like friendship, justice, and objectivity not through Euro-centered frameworks, but rather through intellectual genealogies with Islamic cultural and social roots. From refashioning conceptions of jihad to setting the moral standards for international mediation, my research explores how these actors engaged with an Islamic tradition to develop a modern diplomatic space.

I offer classes in:

• Middle Eastern History
• Islamic Studies
• Mediterranean Studies