Resat Kasaba

Reşat Kasaba is an expert in the history and politics of the Middle East, has taught undergraduate and graduate students at the School for over 30 years and is the recipient of a UW Distinguished Teaching Award. His courses cover a wide range of topics including economic history, state-society relations, migration, ethnicity and nationalism, urban history in the Middle East and world history.

He served as the director of the Jackson School for 10 years, completing his tenure in June 2020. He is currently researching the role of education in the formation of modern Turkish identity in the twentieth century.

Dr. Kasaba is regularly featured in local and regional media for insights into some of the world’s most pressing issues, and is a monthly commentator on Voice of America (Turkey). He also shares his expertise at the UW, and at other universities and non-profit groups around the world.

He is currently President of the Association for Professional Schools of International Affairs, and is a board member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology. Dr. Kasaba has written and edited seven books and over 40 articles and opinion pieces.