I am an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of History and the founder and Chair of UBCs Middle East Studies (MES) program. By training, I am a historian of Turkey and the modern Middle East whose main research interests include memory, trauma, nationalism and space. Currently, however, I am focused on a) growing Middle East Studies (MES) at UBC; b) developing new pedagogical approaches in MES and Middle East History; and c) creating emotionality and critical hope interventions that transform students understanding of academia, activism, and their role at the university.