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Rahhala Journal

The Arab Studies department at 51 is proud to publish the Rahhala Journal annually. Rahhala represents a thoughtful selection of outstanding research conducted by 51 students during their travels throughout the Middle East and North Africa. We welcome contributions from 51 and beyond. 

Questions and comments may be directed to asjournal@davidson.edu.

Arab Studies students are frequently publishing articles, book reviews, translations, and conducting research. Here are some recent examples (listed alphabetically by student last name).

Recently Published Students & Alumni

Sophia Nissler '21

  • by Rebecca Joubin and Sophia Nissler in The Middle East Journal

Hayden Bates '17

  • "" by Hayden Bates and Rebecca Joubin in Middle East Report 278 (Spring 2016)

Noah Bricker '14

  • "Searching for Home" a review of Spared by Angele Ellis, in Al Jadid
  • "," a review of Words, Not Swords by Farzaneh Milani, in Al Jadid

Catherine Cartier '20

  • "" in Al-Monitor
  • "" in Syria Untold
  • "" in The New Arab
  • "" in The New Arab
  • "" in The Calvert Journal
  • "" in Al Noor

Zakiyyah Chism '18

  • "" in U.S. News & World Report

Beau Clark '13

  • "Book Examines Petro-Dollar Paradox" -  a review of The Violence of Petro-Dollar Regimes: Algeria, Iraq, and Libya by Luis Marinez, in Al Jadid
  • "" in Morocco World News
  • "" in Morocco World News
  • "" in Morocco World News

Paige Donnelly '14

  • “Un-dividing West and East” - a review of So That the Poem Remains by B Youssef Abdul Samad, in Al Jadid
  • "" in Al Jadid
  • "" in Al Jadid
  • Tashriqa "" by Faraj Bayrakdar in Al Jadid
  • Tashriqa: Prayer for Homs (PDF) by Faraj Bayrakdar in Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, edited by Malu Halasa, Zaher Omareen & Nawara Mahfoud

Alexandra Francis '12

  • "" reviewed by Alexandra Francis and Toby Dalton in Asia Policy 19 (January 2015)
  • "Jordan's Refugee Crisis (PDF)" in Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (September 2015)

Austin Gray '16

Anna Van Hollen '12

  • by Society of Professional Journalists for outstanding reporting
  • "" in The Atlantic

Anmar Jerjees '18

  • "The Reality of Oppression: Working with Syrian and Iraqi Refugees in Bulgaria" in Change-Magazine

Stephen James Kalin '09

  • "" for Reuters, Jan. 28, 2015
  • "" for Reuters, Feb. 18, 2015

Lauren Khater '12

  • "'Temporal Template': Tool for Western Hegemony" - a review of The Clash of Modernities by Khaldoun Samman, in Al Jadid
  • "Anthony Shadid's 'House of Stone' or the Return to the Roots" by Elie Haddad (translation) in Al Jadid
  • "Fragments of Love and Loneliness: Adania Shibli's New Novel" - a review of We Are All Equally Far From Love by Adania Shibli, in Al Jadid
  • "Is Geography Destiny?" - a review of The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan, in Al Jadid

Kate LeGrand '15

  • "" - a review of Far From Algiers by Djelloul Marbrook, in Al Jadid

Tim Louthan '15

  • "The Power of History: Reappropriating Syria's Past" in Al Jadid
  • "Patrick Seale (1930-2014): Renowned Historian/Journalist, Lover of All Things Syrian...Even the Assad Regime" in Al Jadid

Aman Madan '19

  • "For Syrian Refugees Living in Jordan, Journalism Offers Hope and Opportunity to Rebuild Their Homeland" in  (July 2017)
  • "Oppression's Child: How Hatred Imbedded Itself in Syria's Soul" a review of In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa in Al Jadid

AJ Naddaff '19

  • in the Columbia Journalism Review (2019)
  • "" in the Pulitzer Center website (2018)
  • "" in The Washington Post (2018)
  • : experiences with cultural immersion in Jordan and studying intensive Arabic (2017)
  • "" in Syria Deeply (2017)
  • "" in Syria Untold (2017)
  • "" in The New Arab (2017)
  • "" in The New Arab (2017)
  • "" in Syria Untold (2017)
  • "Hanging By a Thread: Dissident Puppeteers in Assad's Syria" in Al Noor (Spring 2017)
  • "" (co-authored by Rebecca Joubin) in Al Jadid
  • "Hope and Struggle in the Hashemite Kingdom" in The Boston College Undergraduate Middle Eastern Studies Journal, Volume 10, Issue 1, Fall 2016.

Sophia Nissler '21

  • "Escape to Germany in Syrian Television Drama: From Cross-Cultural Gender Constructions to Transnational Tropes of Masculinity and Homeland" by Rebecca Joubin and Sophia Nissler in The Middle East Journal

Aric Reviere '15

  • (translation) in Al Jadid 

Joseph Sills '12

  • in Al Jadid
  • in Al Jadid
  • (translation) in Al Jadid
  • (translation) in Al Jadid
  • (translation) in Al Jadid
  • "Creating New Narrative Space in Traditional Arab Tales" in Al Jadid
  • "Resisting State Co-Option of Language and Poetry" a review of ClockWork by Zaid Shlah, in Al Jadid

Alex Soltany '18

  • "Yasar Kemal: Champion of Anatolian Literature and Social Justice" in Al Jadid

Hampton Stall '15

  • "Sowing Seeds of Social Media Destruction: ISIS as Disruptor and Political Weapon" in The 51 International
  • "Rushing Reconciliation: The Day After Project" in The 51 International
  • "Lebanon: Left Out of Discussion, Issues to Come" in The 51 International
  • "The Shallow End of Egypt's Deep State: A Single Toe at a Time" in The 51 International
  • "Why the Afghan Elections Matter so Much" in The 51 International

Alex Taylor '13

  • "Thirst" by Ghassan Kanafani (introduction and translation) in Al Jadid