Dahlia El Zein is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she focuses on race, migration, and empire between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Her dissertation examines the cross-colonial encounters and racial constructions of Lebanese Syrian migrants in French West Africa and West African soldiers (tirailleurs sénégalais) who served in Lebanon and Syria as part of the French colonial army during the French mandate (1920-1946).
Dahlia holds an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, and has previously taught history courses on the Middle East and Immigration at the W.E.B. Dubois Scholars Institute. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she worked in human rights for several years, covering the Middle East and North Africa region, and also worked for the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University.
This graduate student is available to deliver lectures to your K-12 classroom at no charge. All requests MUST be booked through the Middle East Center Speaker's Bureau.
Dahlia's topics of expertise include 19th and 20th century Lebanon, Syria, Senegal, Egypt, and Israel/Palestine. Dahlia's interests include race, migration, and empire between the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. Dahlia previously worked for Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Dahlia can teach and perform the debke, a traditional Palestinian dance.