Ira M. Lapidus
Ira M. Lapidus | |
---|---|
Born | Brooklyn, New York | 9 June 1937
Occupation | Professor Emeritus of History, Author |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Subject | Middle Eastern and Islamic History |
Notable works | A History of Islamic Societies |
Spouse | Brenda Webster |
Website | |
history |
Ira M. Lapidus is an Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History at The University of California at Berkeley.[1] He is the author of A History of Islamic Societies, and Contemporary Islamic Movements in Historical Perspective, among other works.
Biography and academic career
Lapidus was born to Jewish parents and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He was born to immigrant parents, who instilled a sense of the value of education in him and his brother. He attended Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, where a history teacher helped him prepare for admissions tests and suggested he pursue Asian history studies.[2]
Lapidus went on to college and graduate school at
Professor Lapidus began teaching at
Professor Lapidus was for many years Chairman of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Berkeley. He is a past president and director of the
Lapidus regularly visits Rome and other European cities with his wife, the writer Brenda Webster. Over the course of his academic career, he has done research in England, France, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, former Soviet Union, Pakistan, and India, and has traveled extensively in Muslim regions of North Africa, the Middle East, former Soviet Central Asia, India, Indonesia and western China.[3]
Photography
As well as his work in academia, Lapidus is a prolific fine art photographer whose work focuses on street scenes, city spaces, and reflections both literal and metaphorical. He has been exhibited at the A.C.C.I. Gallery in Berkeley, CA, the Club at the Claremont in Oakland, CA, the Fetterly Gallery in Vallejo, CA, and elsewhere. His work has been published in Photo Metro, Women's Studies, Fiction International, and the San Francisco Chronicle. His photos are held in numerous private collections.[4]
Fellowships, honors and awards
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Middle East Medievalists, 2001[5]
- American Philosophical Society, elected member, 1994[6]
- Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Study Center, 1990[7]
His other notable fellowships include the
Professional associations
- President, Middle East Studies Association, 1983-84[8]
- Director, The Urban History Association, 1990-1996[9]
- Board of Directors, Middle East Studies Association, 1972–75, 1981-85[10]
- Director, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown, 1992-1996[11]
Books
- Muslim Cities in the Later Middle Ages, 1967, 1984
- Middle Eastern Cities, editor, 1969
- Contemporary Islamic Movements in Historical Perspective, 1984
- Islam, Politics and Social Movements, editor (with Edmund Burke), 1988
- A History of Islamic Societies, 1988, 2002, 2014
- Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History, 2012
References
- ^ "CMES Affiliated Faculty Profile". berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b "UC Berkeley interview". Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d Interview with Ira Lapidus, June 2013
- ^ "Ira Lapidus's photography website". Retrieved 3 June 2013.
- ^ "Middle East Medievalists". Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "American Philosophical Society". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Rockefeller Foundation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Middle East Studies Association Member Profile". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Current and past officers of The Urban History Association". Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Middle East Studies Association".
- ^ "Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding" (PDF).