Matthew Cowin, Staff Writer
Intro
Dr. Nicholas Roberts is a current professor of middle eastern history at Sewanee: University of the South with specific expertise in religious nationalism and military conflict. Born in England, Roberts moved to the United States in High School and studied religion at Carleton College in Minnesota.
After college, Roberts earned a M.A. in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Chicago and later earned a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies and History at New York University in 2009. That same year, he began his tenure as a history professor at Sewanee and now provides full detail of his teaching experience and vast involvement at the university.
Early Life
In college, Roberts was not yet entirely sure of his career path. “At that time I didn’t think I would be a middle eastern history professor. I was interested in studying philosophy or mathematics,” said Roberts.
Ultimately studying religion, his interests in the Middle East began as he took eastern religion classes and studied abroad. He also has family connections to the region: “In the first trimester of my junior year I studied in Istanbul and later wrote my undergraduate comp on Islam and Jewish/Christian movements. My parents, American mother, British father, also met in Iran and my father worked for British Petroleum in the Middle East.” Roberts furthered his knowledge of the Middle East in graduate school at the University of Chicago and New York University.
Graduate Studies
For his master’s degree, he took many history classes related to religious conflict. “Though I did take plenty of Russian history at Carleton College and additional history courses at the University of Chicago,” said Roberts, “it was not until my PhD studies that I pursued a history degree. My most memorable course related to my master’s degree in middle eastern studies was on the Israel-Palestine conflict with Rashid Khalidi.”
The history relevant to the conflict led him to his combined religion and history Ph.D. at New York University. “Much of my Ph.D. studies were on how the British addressed Islam and religious nationalism in the Palestine mandate period. I have spent plenty of time in Palestine completing my own research and book, Islam Under the Palestine Mandate: Colonialism and the Supreme Muslim Council (2016),” Roberts said. He next details his course variety and experience at Sewanee and connects them to the passions of his own research.
Teaching at Sewanee
At Sewanee, Roberts covers a wide array of topics in his courses on Middle Eastern history. Roberts said, “I teach courses that cover European imperialism, history of Islam, Arab-Israeli conflict, and history of Jerusalem among other topics. Our goals are to think of ways many groups discuss Jerusalem, primarily in how the Arab-Israeli narrative may be different from British and American views.”
Roberts expressed excitement for his new course next semester on religious nationalism: “There is a main focus on Islam/Christian/Jewish nationalism and how outside actors interact with the Middle East. The broad goal in my courses is to examine various perspectives and convince students to look beyond the many headlines.” Roberts coincides academia with his appreciation for the Sewanee classroom and community experience.
Sewanee Community
Roberts holds a high regard for Sewanee’s small classroom environment. “The small-discussion classes initiate thought-provoking ideas. As the only middle eastern historian at a small college, I also have the freedom to teach what I want and my own courses have deeply informed my research,” Roberts explained. He is also involved in the First Year Experience program and enjoys the area with his family: “I’m heavily involved in FYE courses and introducing new students to university life. My wife and two boys, who attend St. Andrew’s School, love living in the area and its woods. I play soccer and mountain bike in my free time.”
On the Domain, Roberts is grounded in campus life, academia, students, and most importantly the global relevance of his international religious conflict courses and personal time abroad that require a broad perspective.