Edward Curtis is the founder and editor of Arab Americana, a community-engaged journal about Arab American life. The author or editor of 15 books, Curtis is the recipient of Carnegie, Fulbright, Mellon, and multiple National Endowment for the Humanities grants and fellowships. He serves as the 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 program.

Curtis’ published works include Muslims in America: A Short History (Oxford University Press), 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, 2022), winner of the 2023 Evelyn Shakir Book Award from the Arab American National Museum. Co-founder of the Journal of Africana Religions, he has also penned scholarly articles for the Journal of American History, American Quarterly, and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

Dr. Curtis engages both national and local audiences in his public scholarship. The winner of two Emmy awards 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. In addition, he has 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 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.