Karam Dana

Karam Dana (كرم دعنا) is a Palestinian American academic. He is the Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence and Transformative Research at the University of Washington Bothell, the first named-professorship to ever be established at the institution. He is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and the founding director of the American Muslim Research Institute (AMRI).Dr. Dana served as the co-chair of the University of Washington’s Task Force on Islamophobia in 2024.

Biography

He was born and raised in al-Khalil/Hebron (الخليل), West Bank, Palestine. He migrated to the US in the late 1990s. He studied at Seattle Central Community College before transferring to the University of Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and Political Science. He received a Master of Arts in International Studies from the Jackson School of International Studies. After receiving his PhD from the University of Washington in 2009, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, then worked as a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He also taught courses at Harvard University and Tufts University before joining the University of Washington faculty. Karam Dana received the highest honors the University of Washington bestows upon its faculty members, both for teaching and research. He received the University of Washington's Distinguished Teaching Award for 2018, and the Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Award in 2023. Dr. Dana was recognized by the Arab American Community of the Pacific Northwest in April 2024, and presented him with the Outstanding Service and Leadership Award.

Scholarship

Dana is one of the earliest scholars to study Islam and Muslims in the US through public opinion and through the lens of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) within the discipline of political science. He served as the co-PI of the Muslim American Public Opinion Survey (MAPOS), which was one of the earliest national surveys of American Muslims. He also studies the question of Palestine, the impact of Israeli occupation on Palestinian society, and Palestinian transnationalism. He has published widely on American Muslim political behavior, identity politics, and on the question of Palestine. He has lectured widely, and made media appearances, locally, nationally, and around the world. His book, To Stand With Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States, is published by Columbia University Press.