Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington
M.A.I.S. International Studies: Middle East Studies, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
B.A. Economics; Political Science: Political Economy, University of Washington

• BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research
• BIS 374 Middle East Politics
• BIS 490 Race, Ethnicity and Politics
• BIS 490 Islam and Muslims in Western Contexts
• BPOLST 598 US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

I am constantly inspired by my students’ active and meaningful participation in the classroom, which I believe is crucial for deep learning and intellectual growth. My teaching approach emphasizes rigorous and creative engagement with diverse primary sources, supported by an inclusive, multicultural, and globally focused antiracist pedagogy.

 

I am dedicated to building a strong community of learners and fostering a classroom environment that encourages sustained dialogue, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful connections across differences. To ground learning in both historical and contemporary real-world challenges, I employ various pedagogical strategies, including case studies, reflective writing, small-group discussions, and problem-based learning. In each course, I clearly communicate how assignments are designed to enhance analytical skills, deepen conceptual understanding, and connect theory to practice by addressing complex social, political, and ethical issues.

 

My continuous professional development is driven by intentional reflection on my teaching practice and a steadfast commitment to effective and innovative forms of knowledge transfer through critical and creative pedagogical approaches. I actively engage students as co-creators of knowledge, encouraging them to develop clarity, confidence, and intellectual independence in their thinking and expression. I was honored to receive the 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) at the University of Washington.

Professor Dana is a scholar of transnational political identities whose research examines their evolution and impact on civic engagement and political participation. Anchored in the study of political identities and transnationalism, his work focuses on Muslim Americans in the United States and Palestinians both in Palestine and across transnational spaces. He investigates the intersections of identity, racialization, religion, and politics within their broader social and historical contexts, with sustained attention to how ethno-, sociopolitical, and religious identities are formed, institutionalized, contested, and transformed under shifting socio-economic and political conditions. In recognition of the significance of this body of work, he was the recipient of the University of Washington Bothell Distinguished Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activities Award (2023).

 

His book, *To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States* (Columbia University Press), analyzes changing perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians within U.S. society and politics. The book argues that the increasingly visible support for the Palestinian cause, and the expansion of solidarity movements across the United States, must be understood in relation to significant societal and political transformations that have unfolded since the late 1990s. It was longlisted for the 2025 Palestine Book Awards.

 

Professor Dana served as co–Principal Investigator of The Muslim American Public Opinion Survey (MAPOS), which remains, nearly two decades later, one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of Muslims in the United States. He was senior co-director of the 2020 Muslim American Oversample and the 2024 MENA Oversample of the Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS). He has also led The Middle East Public Opinion Project (MEPOP) and directed more than a dozen public opinion surveys across the Arab world. These include the 2013 “Palestinian Public Opinion Survey,” which examined Palestinian attitudes toward socio-economic conditions and political issues twenty years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, and the 2022 “Survey of American Views Toward Foreign Policy and International Affairs Twenty Years Post-9/11.”

 

In recognition of the impact of his scholarship, the University of Washington Board of Regents approved his appointment as the inaugural holder of the first named professorship established at University of Washington Bothell. He has secured research funding from various foundations, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Social Science Research Council, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

 

In addition to his appointment at UW Bothell, Professor Dana is an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science, the Department of Sociology, and a core faculty in the Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies Ph.D. Program, at the University of Washington Seattle.

Selected Publications

• Dana, Karam. 2025. To Stand with Palestine : Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
• Dana, Karam, and Nazita Lajevardi. 2025. “Introducing the 2020 CMPS MENA/Muslim Sample.” PS: Political Science & Politics. DOI:10.1017/S1049096524000180.
• Dana, Karam and Matt Barreto. 2019. “American Muslims and the State: Contexts and Contentions.” Chapter in Brian Calfano, and Nazita Lajevardi’s “Understanding Muslim Political Life in America: Contested Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century.” Temple University Press.
• Barreto, Matt and Karam Dana. 2019. “Best Practices for Gathering Public Opinion Data Among Muslim Americans.” Chapter in Brian Calfano, and Nazita Lajevardi’s “Understanding Muslim Political Life in America: Contested Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century.” Temple University Press.
• Oskooii, Kassra, Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2019. “Beyond Generalized Ethnocentrism: Islam-Specific Beliefs and Prejudice toward Muslim Americans. “Politics, Groups, and Identity.” DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2019.1623053.
• Chuhoud, Youssef, Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2019. “American Muslim Political Participation: Between Diversity and Cohesion. Journal of Politics and Religion.” DOI: 10.1017/S1755048318000858.
• Dana, Karam. 2018. “What the United States Can Learn From Palestine: Defining Human Rights and Democracy in an International Context.” Journal of Civil and Human Rights.4:2: 1-5.
• Dana, Karam, Nazita Lajevardi, Kassra Oskooii, and Hannah Walker. 2018. “Veiled Politics: Experiences with Discrimination among American Muslim Women.” Journal of Politics and Religions. DOI: DOI:10.1017/S1755048318000287.
• Ocampo, Angela X., Karam Dana, and Matt Barreto. 2018. “The American Muslim Voter: Community Belonging and Political Participation.” Social Science Research: 72: 84-99. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.02.002
• Dana, Karam. 2018 (2017 online). “Anti-Western Feelings in the Arab World and the Role of Exposure to the West: Rethinking Connections Through Public Opinion.” Territory, Politics, Governance. 6:3: 322-341. DOI: 10.1080/21622671.2017.1292946
• Dana, Karam, Matt Barreto, and Bryan Wilcox-Archuleta. 2017. “The Political Incorporation of Muslims in America: The Mobilizing Role of Religiosity in Islam.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2:2: 170-200. DOI: doi:10.1017/rep.2017.4 2056-6085/17
• Dana, Karam. 2017. “Contextualizing Cynicism: Palestinian Public Opinion Towards Human Rights and Democracy.” Muslim Journal of Human Rights and Democracy. 14:1, 113-144. DOI: 10.1515/mwjhr-2016-0023
• Dana, Karam. 2017. “The West Bank Apartheid/Separation Wall: Space, Punishment, and the Disruption of Social Continuity.” 22: 4, 887-910. DOI: 10.1080/14650045.2016.1275576
• Oskooii, Kassra and Karam Dana. 2018 (2017 online). “Muslims in Great Britain: The Impact of Mosque Attendance on Political Behaviour and Civic Engagement.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 44:9: 1479-1505. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2017.1330652
• Dana, Karam. 2018 (2016 online). “Confronting Injustice Beyond Borders: Palestinian Identity and Nonviolent Resistance.” Politics, Groups, and Identities. 6:4: 529-552. DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2016.1229625
• Dana, Karam and Hannah Walker. 2015. “Invisible Disasters: The Effects of Israeli Occupation on Palestinian Gender Roles.” Contemporary Arab Affairs. 8:4, 488-504.
• Dana, Karam. 2015. Review of “Why the West Fears Islam: An Exploration of Muslims in Liberal Democracies” by Jocelyne Cesari. International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol 47, No 4 (2015): 837-839.
• Dana, Karam. 2014. Palestinian Youth Study: The Visible and Invisible Effects of Israeli Occupation. Y Global. Oslo, Norway.
• Dana, Karam and Stephen Franklin. 2013. “Islam in America” in Lawrence Pintak and Stephen Franklin’s (Ed.) Islam for Journalists: A Primer on Covering Muslim Communities in America. Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Columbia, Missouri. Pp. 96-127.
• Dana, Karam. 2012. “Negotiating Influence: The Economy, State Apparatus, and the Asad Regime.” A book review of Bassam Haddad’s Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience. Syrian Studies Association Bulletin. Vol 17, No 2 (2012): 30-31.
• Dana, Karam and Stephen Franklin. 2011. “Islam and Muslims in America.” in Lawrence Pintak’s Islam and Main Street: A Crash Course for Domestic American Reporters. The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Center for Distance and Professional Education. Washington State University.
• Dana, Karam, Matt Barreto and Kassra Oskooii. 2011. “Mosques as American Institutions: Mosque Attendance, Religiosity, and Integration into American Society.” Journal of 2:4: 504-524.
• Dana, Karam. 2011. “Muslims in America: A profile.” The Dubai Initiative Paper Series. The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
• Dana, Karam. 2011. “Political Economics: The Challenges of Economic Development in Palestine” The Dubai Initiative Paper Series. The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
• Dana, Karam. 2011. Review of “The Cartoons that Shook the World” by Jyttee Klausen. Journal of Politics and Religion. 4(2): 390-392.

Awards and Recognitions

• Outstanding Service and Leadership Award. Arab Community of the Pacific Northwest. Salaam Cultural Museum. 2024. Seattle, Washington.
• Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Award (DRSCA). 2023. University of Washington Bothell.
• Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA). 2018. University of Washington Bothell.
• Worthington Distinguished Scholar. 2012-2013. University of Washington Bothell.
• “Most Transformative Class” Award. 2010-2011. Department of History. College of Arts and Sciences. Tufts University.
• Best Paper Award of 2008 Conference (co-authored). The American Political Science Association (WPSA). Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section.
• Longlisted, Palestine Book Award. 2025. (To Stand with Palestine: transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States).

Academic Positions Held

• Research Fellow, Dubai Initiative, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2010-2012.
• Associate, Center for American Political Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, 2011-2012.
• Fellow, Committee on Social Studies, Harvard University, 2011-2012.
• Visiting Professor, Department of History & The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 2010-2011.
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Islam in the West Program, Harvard University, 2009-2010.