Aswad, Barbara C.

Professor of anthropology at Wayne State University, active in issues and organizations specific to the Arab-American population of southeastern Michigan, particularly Dearborn, Michigan.

From the description of Barbara C. Aswad papers, 1962-2000 (bulk 1975-2000). (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 81641519

Dr. Barbara C. Aswad was born in 1936. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan and began teaching at Wayne State University in 1968. She has been involved in issues involving the Arab-American population of southeastern Michigan and has contributed greatly to the development of community-based organizations, particularly in the city of Dearborn, Michigan. She is also a well-known scholar of Middle Eastern cultural anthropology and urban anthropology of the Detroit area's Arab community.

Dr. Aswad's devotion to the Arab community is shown through her activities in a number of organizations. She served on the executive board of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), an organization located in Dearborn since its founding 1971. During the "Southend Struggle," an organized attempt by the City of Dearborn to displace Arab-American residents, she was highly involved with the Southeast Dearborn Community Council. She has also been president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, a national organization that focuses on scholarship of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world. She has also been on the Executive Committee of the Middle East Studies Association of the American Anthropological Association.

Dr. Aswad retired from teaching at Wayne State University in 2001 but is still active in the Arab-American community of metropolitan Detroit.

From the guide to the Barbara C. Aswad Papers, 1962-2000, 1975-2000, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)