Edward Curtis is a publicly-engaged scholar of Black, Muslim, and Arab American history and life.

Curtis’ fifteen books have been called  “essential,” “exemplary,” “approachable,” “groundbreaking,” “must-read,” “wonderful,” and “a model of clarity.” Muslims in America: A Short History (Oxford, 2009) was named one of the best 100 books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly, and Muslims of the Heartland: How Syrian Immigrants Made a Home in the American Midwest  (New York University Press) won the 2023 Evelyn Shakir Book Award from the Arab American National Museum. In addition to co-founding the Journal of Africana Religions, Curtis has penned scholarly articles for the Journal of American History, American Quarterly, and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. His research has been supported by fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the American Academy of Religion, and the National Humanities Center.

Curtis engages both national and local audiences in his public scholarship. The winner of two Emmys for his work as executive producer and writer of Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History (2022), he has also consulted on and appeared as on-air talent in the Great Muslim American Road Trip and American Muslims: A History Revealed. Curtis has contributed interviews and articles to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, among other media outlets.

Curtis has also taught community college instructors and K-12 teachers how to integrate information about religion and Muslim American history and life across the curriculum. Most recently, he served as lead scholar of New York City public schools’ Muslim American history curriculum. Curtis enjoys collaborating with multiple community partners, which include Nur Allah Islamic Center and the Arab Indianapolis Foundation.

Dr. Curtis is William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of World Languages & Cultures at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis, where he also directs the Arabic and Islamic studies minor. He holds a doctorate in religious studies from the University of South Africa, a master’s in history from Washington University, and a B.A. in religion from Kenyon College. He grew up in Southern Illinois.