Assistant Professor in the Department of International and Area Studies and the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of Oklahoma
About
Waleed F. Mahdi's research is at the intersection of area studies and ethnic studies as he explores issues of cultural representation and identity politics in American, Arab and Arab American contexts. His recent book, Arab Americans in Film: From Hollywood and Egyptian Stereotypes to Self-Representation (Syracuse University Press, 2020) examines how Arab American belonging is constructed, defined, and redefined across Hollywood, Egyptian, and Arab American cinemas.
Current Work:
Waleed is currently guest-editing the special issue "MENA Migrants and Diasporas in Twenty-First-Century Media" for Mashriq and Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies. Meanwhile, he is co-authoring a book with Nate Greenberg that examines the Arab support for American deployment of soft power in the "war on terror" era. He is also developing another book that explores Yemeni and Yemeni American creative expressions of agency in the twenty-first century.
Research Area Keywork(s):
US-Arab cultural politics; Arab and Muslim American identity; Yemeni cultural history
