CMENAS is delighted to announce that Jay Crisostomo has been appointed interim director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, effective July 1, 2024, for the 2024-2025 academic year. Professor Crisostomo, a George G. Cameron Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, previously served as the associate director of CMENAS.
CMENAS is also thrilled to announce that Khaled Mattawa has been appointed associate director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, effective July 1, 2024, for the 2024-2025 academic year. Professor Mattawa is the William Wilhartz Endowed Professor of English Language and Literature.
We are grateful to Professor Crisostomo for his commitment to the International Institute (II), CMENAS, and international education. We look forward to working together on the future of the CMENAS Center at the II. CMENAS looks forward to working closely with Professor Mattawa on CMENAS programming.
We would also like to thank Professor Ryan Szpiech for his leadership of CMENAS.
Please join us in welcoming Professor Crisostomo and Professor Mattawa to these new roles at the II!
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Jay Crisostomo is a George G. Cameron Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Michigan, where he has taught since 2015. He earned his PhD in cuneiform studies at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on the languages, intellectual, and social histories of cuneiform cultures of the ancient Middle East. His book, Translation as Scholarship: Language, Writing, and Bilingual Education in Ancient Babylonia, investigates the varieties of cuneiform scribal practices, with a special focus on the nature of translation as scholarly knowledge and the intersection and influence of various scribal corpora upon each other. He also serves as the director of graduate studies in MES, ensuring graduate students succeed in their programs. At Michigan, Professor Crisostomo teaches two courses on the cultures of the Middle East from the past to the present, one on the medical traditions of the Middle East and another on the history and politics of sport in the MENA region.
Professor Crisostomo is a strong supporter of the center’s mission to promote the study of the Middle East and North Africa with dynamic programming and pedagogy. From 2023–24, he served as associate director of CMENAS, working with CMENAS Director Ryan Szpiech to oversee the CMENAS Master's in Regional Studies. He is excited to serve as interim director for the coming academic year.
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Khaled Mattawa is a professor of English language and literature. He received his BS from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, an MFA in Creative Writing from Indiana University, and a PhD in English from Duke University. Mattawa has been teaching at the University of Michigan since 2004. He is the author of five books of poetry and Mahmoud Darwish: The Poet's Art and His Nation. His awards include the Academy of American Poets Fellowship prize, the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, and a MacArthur Fellowship. Professor Mattawa is currently the editor-in-chief of the Michigan Quarterly Review and teaches in the graduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan.
Professor Mattawa is enthusiastic about promoting the study of the Middle East and North Africa and overseeing the CMENAS Master's in Regional Studies. He is excited to serve as the associate director for the coming academic year.
