Jie Gao

PhD Student
TestPerson

Marshall Building Room 456

About Jie Gao

Jie "Jalil" Gao, is a PhD candiate in Anthropology and MENAS at UArizona. Jie has a B.A. in Arabic Language and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University (2015) and an M.A. (with distinction) in Arab Society and Culture from the same institution (2018). He was the recipient of the Sino-Israeli Bilateral Exchange Scholarship (2016), by which he studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and obtained a second M.A. in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (2018). His research interests include historical and contemporary migration, infrastructure, development, and globalization in the Maghreb. Taking the Chinese community in Morocco as a case, he is particularly interested in how emerging powers, like China, have engaged in a variety of socio-economic activities in Morocco in the past decade and in what ways their presences in Morocco are similar and different from those of traditional western powers.

 

Outside of his study and research, Jie is an avid traveler fond of experiencing different cultures and encountering interesting people. As a nationally certified translator (Arabic-Chinese, English-Chinese), he translates meticulously selected English and Arabic (auto)biographies into Chinese as a pastime.

Courses Taught

As Instructor: 

MENA 150C1 Islamic Civilization: Traditional and Modern Middle East (Summer 2021)

MENA 160A2 Middle Eastern Humanities (Summer 2020)

As Tutor/TA for the Arabic Flagship: 

ARB 101, 102, 401 (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Summer 2020, Spring 2021) 

AS TA:

MENA 160A2 Middle Eastern Humanities (Fall 2019, Spring 2020) 

MENA 150C1 Islamic Civilization: Traditional and Modern Middle East (Fall 2020)

MENA/HIST/RELI 277A History of the Middle East 600-1453 CE (Fall 2021)

MENA/HIST/POL 484/584 The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1800-Present (Spring 2022)

Areas of Study

Morocco, Algeria, Anthropology of MENA, North African Studies, Social History, China-Arab Relations, China-Africa Relations