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Portrait of Rashid Ismail Khalidi

Photo: Thomas Good · CC BY-SA 4.0

Rashid Ismail Khalidi

Historian and Columbia professor emeritus

Born
18 November 1948
Born in
New York City, USA
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Why Rashid is here

Leading Scholar on Middle Eastern Studies

Their story

Rashid Khalidi, born in New York in 1948 to a Jerusalem family, is a historian of the modern Middle East. He was the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University until he retired in 2024, and edited the Journal of Palestine Studies for nearly twenty years.

His books include Palestinian Identity, The Iron Cage and The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (2020), which tells the story of Palestine as a century-long colonial war and became an international bestseller. He advised the Palestinian delegation at the 1991 Madrid peace talks.

Milestones

The moments that shaped Rashid’s path.

  1. Academic Credentials

    Received his B.A. from Yale University in 1970 and D.Phil. from Oxford University in 1974.

  2. Professorship at Columbia

    Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies from 2003 to 2024; professor emeritus since 2024.

  3. Editorial Leadership

    Served as editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, enhancing its scope and impact on Middle East studies.

  4. Advisory Roles

    Played a key role as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation during the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations from 1991 to 1993.

  5. Award-Winning Author

    His books, such as Palestinian Identity and The Iron Cage, have received critical acclaim and numerous awards for their insightful analysis of Palestinian history and identity.

Legacy

What they built, changed and left behind.

  1. Scholarly Publications

    Khalidi has authored seminal works on Palestinian nationalism, notably Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness.

  2. Advancing Academic Discourse

    His teachings and publications have nurtured a deeper understanding of Arab political identity and the dynamics of statelessness.

  3. Public Intellectual

    Regularly contributes to major U.S. newspapers and participates in radio and TV discussions, bringing informed perspectives to a wide audience.

  4. Institution Building

    Co-director of the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University, which promotes academic research on Palestine.

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  5. Community Engagement

    Through his roles in various academic and cultural institutions, Khalidi has significantly influenced public policy and education on Middle Eastern affairs.

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Rashid in interviews, talks and coverage.

  • 01Institution Building↗

  • 02Community Engagement↗

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