Overview
I study how macro-level power structures shape sectarian boundaries among ethnic and religious groups and how minorities make sense of their identities and status in turn. My current research examines sectarian interactions between Egyptian Christians and Muslims with an intersectional lens to understand how in the post-Arab Uprisings Christian minorities’ daily interactions unfold differently based on their gender, social class, and urban geography. This research analyzes the lived experience of minorities in the contemporary Middle East, which advances the literature of sectarianism that has mainly focused on structural analysis of political actors, such as the state and Islamist groups. I have conducted qualitative and ethnographic research in Cairo, Egypt since 2006 and have written on emotions and boundaries, Arab Uprising protests, and changes in Islamic family law from a feminist perspective. At Duke Kunshan, I teach courses on social problems, theories, and politics and religion in the Middle East.