About
Egor Korneev is a PhD Candidate in Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan, specializing in mass media and Islam in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. His research centers on how Islamic history is represented on Arab and Turkish television and through other forms of popular culture, including film, radio, theater, and storytelling. His current project examines the genre of historical television drama and its significant role in shaping the image of the premodern Islamic past for regional audiences in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Egor's interdisciplinary approach integrates film theory, communication studies, and media anthropology to explore historical mass-mediated audiovisual texts. He is particularly interested in the material aspects of the serials' production such as sets, props, and costumes, and their reception in print and online media. His research also delves into how seriality and nostalgia in historical dramas influence audience engagement with historical narratives. Complementing his methodological framework, Egor brings extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern and Islamic history, cultivated through years of study, including a focus on Sufism in Egypt and the broader Arab world in the premodern and modern periods.
Beyond academia, Egor has a rich background in Arabic television, with four years of experience in live broadcasting and video editing. This practical experience enriches his understanding of television as an industry. Egor knows English, Arabic, Turkish, and Russian languages, which he actively employs in his research.
Research Interests:
- Islam and Mass media
- History and Popular Culture
- History and Seriality
- Mass Media and Nostalgia
- Media Anthropology
- Religion and Film
- Sufism in Egypt and the Arab world
- Television and Film studies
- Historical, Social, and Political development of the MENA region
