Faculty Director
Professor of the Practice of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Mbaye Lo is a Professor of the Practice of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and International Comparative Studies and Director of both the Middle East Studies Center and the Islamic Studies Center at Duke University. Originally from Senegal, Lo completed his undergraduate and graduate training in classical Arabic language and literature at the International University of Africa, Khartoum, and the Khartoum International Institute for Arabic Language, Sudan. He also received an MA in American history from Cleveland State University, where he also earned his PhD from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs with a dissertation on Re-inventing Civil Society-Based Governance in Africa: Theories and Practices.
Professor Lo is a recipient of several awards including the National Humanities Center fellowship, the American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship on Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs, DukeEngage Program Director Award, and Duke University Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Professor Lo is the author and editor of nine books in both English and Arabic that examine the intersection of intellectual and social discourse of Arabic/Islamic and African cultures. He has written widely on political Islam, Arabic literary traditions in West Africa, and ideas of civil society and governance.