Arbella Bet-Shlimon

Modern Middle East history, Iraq, the Gulf, urban history, and oil in the Middle East.

Arbella Bet-Shlimon is a historian of the modern Middle East and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization and an affiliate of the Jackson School’s Middle East Center. In her research and teaching, she focuses on the politics, society and economy of twentieth-century Iraq and the broader Persian Gulf region, as well as Middle Eastern urban history. In addition to specialized courses on these topics, she offers general introductory courses on the modern Middle East, including a survey of the Middle East since the nineteenth century.

Her research has been funded by, among others, the American Historical Association, the UW Royalty Research Fund, and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. She has published articles in the Journal of Urban History and Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Her pedagogy has been recognized with three teaching and mentorship awards. She is on the board of the American Academic Research Institute in Iraq. She recently won a Distinguished Teaching Award as a 2017 University of Washington Awards of Excellence recipient.

Up-to-date information on Bet-Shlimon’s research and publications, as well as links to her work, may be found on her Academia.edu profile.