Klarman Fellow wins Middle East Studies dissertation award

Olga Verlato, Klarman Fellow in Near Eastern Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has received the Malcolm H. Kerr Award (Humanities) from the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) of North America. Her dissertation, "Languages of Power and People: Multilingualism, Politics, and Resistance in Modern Egypt and the Mediterranean," approaches modern Egypt as a multilingual country and society in order to challenge a common understanding of the nation state as a monolingual entity.

The dissertation "offers a new perspective on the history of modern Egypt by focusing on the complex relationship between multilingualism and the rise of linguistic nationalism," noted the award committee citation. "Verlato's nuanced analysis and innovative approach make a significant contribution to the field of Middle East studies and offer valuable insights into the global history of nationalism and language."

Verlato completed the dissertation at New York University in the Departments of History and Islamic Studies.

"Receiving this award makes me all the more thrilled at the prospect of continuing to explore questions of language, colonial and nationalist politics, and multilingual exchange and competition here at Cornell," Verlato said.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.