Curtis Wins Chancellor’s and Student Awards
Indianapolis, Ind. — Last week, IU Indianapolis Arabic and Islamic Studies Program Director Edward Curtis, the Gail M. and William M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts, took home the Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement, and then five days later, he received the Asian Student Union’s Faculty Leader of the Year Award. “I knew that the Chancellor’s Award was a possibility because it requires a … Continue reading Curtis Wins Chancellor’s and Student Awards
Syrian Ladies Aid Society of Michigan City
Originally appeared in Traces, Fall 2024, 48-54. Want to know more? You can research the Syrian Ladies Aid Society collection at the IU Indianapolis Library. Established in 1918 in Michigan City, Indiana, the Syrian Ladies Aid Society (SLAS) was a self-defined charitable organization that rendered mutual aid and supported the life of Syrian-Lebanese Christian communities in Michigan City. Its members were among the 1,460 Hoosiers … Continue reading Syrian Ladies Aid Society of Michigan City
Indianapolis Cultural Trail South Street Dedication
As lead author of the three historical panels to be installed on the South Street Extension of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, I was invited by cultural trail leader Kären Haley to give some brief remarks at the ribbon cutting on October 29, 2024. The selection of the sites for the panels was a team effort. City archivist Jordan Ryan, Prof. Sue Hyatt, and I worked … Continue reading Indianapolis Cultural Trail South Street Dedication
Audiobook for “Muslims of the Heartland” Now Out
The Muslims of the Heartland audiobook, narrated by yours truly, is now available on Apple Books, Audible, Amazon, and other places. The audio is produced by Kent Vernon, the same sound engineer that worked on Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History. The book tells the story of several Arabic-speaking Muslim families who settled in the Midwest before World War I and nurtured vibrant Arab American Muslim communities between World War I … Continue reading Audiobook for “Muslims of the Heartland” Now Out
Directing Arabic and Islamic Studies at IU Indianapolis
I am excited to begin my leadership of the Arabic Studies program and the Arabic and Islamic studies minor this summer at IU Indianapolis. I feel grateful to Dr. Amira Mashhour, who built the program over the past two decades, and to all the community advisers who have pledged their support as I attempt to lead the program. It’s my hope to lead Arabic studies … Continue reading Directing Arabic and Islamic Studies at IU Indianapolis
Syrian Quarter Marker Dedicated at Lucas Oil Stadium
On April 25, 2024, supporters of the Arab Indianapolis project were proud to dedicate the Syrian Quarter marker at Lucas Oil Stadium, where Syrian immigrants developed the first Arabic-speaking neighborhood in Indianapolis. Speakers included Maria Nimri, St. George Church member; Josh Chitwood, filmmaker of When We Were Syrian and descendant of a Syrian Quarter family; Ron Ellis, grandson of Abraham and Latifa Freije; State Sen. … Continue reading Syrian Quarter Marker Dedicated at Lucas Oil Stadium
Syrian Ark: No Longer Lost
This article, published by the Indiana Magazine of History and also available on Project Muse, is the first to document the historical significance of the Indianapolis-based Syrian Ark, the official newspaper of the Midwest Federation of Syrian American Clubs from 1936 to 1954. Extant copies of the periodical provide a detailed record of Arab, Syrian, and Lebanese Midwestern life in the middle twentieth century. Using … Continue reading Syrian Ark: No Longer Lost
“The Largest Syrian Colony Outside New York”: Syrian-Lebanese Immigration to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Originally published in Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History (Indiana Historical Society), Spring 2023: 5-13. By 1900 there were vibrant Arabic-speaking communities across Indiana, including in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Michigan City. But Fort Wayne was special, at least according to its Syrian residents. Alixa Naff, who developed the Smithsonian Institution’s collection on Arab American history, wrote that Fort Wayne “was among the largest and … Continue reading “The Largest Syrian Colony Outside New York”: Syrian-Lebanese Immigration to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Searching for Arab Sweden
For more than a decade, I have been in touch with colleagues in Sweden about a possible visit there to begin an exploration of the lives of Muslim and Arab Swedes. I was finally able to follow through this month. My primary interlocutor was Dr. Frederic Brusi, a scholar of contemporary Sufism and an official at the Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities, a … Continue reading Searching for Arab Sweden
Podcasting “Muslims of the Heartland”
In addition to hitting the road for a multi-stop Heartland Muslim book tour in 2022, I really enjoyed spending time talking with other professors about the book on a variety of podcasts this year. I wrote Muslims of the Heartland for public, Midwestern audiences, the people who, like me, are descendants of the first Arabic-speaking people who settled here before World War I and for … Continue reading Podcasting “Muslims of the Heartland”
Edward E. Curtis IV 
You must be logged in to post a comment.