There is a long history between Arizona and the Arabian Peninsula. When early settlers moved to the American southwest, they learned how to thrive in the arid environment. Descendants of the settlers took their knowledge to the Middle East and created small colonial networks there. In time, those networks became large, U.S. government empires as experts worked the desert to their advantage.

This talk is presented by Natalie Koch, Professor of Human Geography at Heidelberg University in Germany, as well as Professor of Geography at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Her new book is “Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia” (Verso, 2023).

This talk is sponsored by Geography & Atmospheric Science, Center for Global & International Studies, Middle East Studies, and American Studies. Facebook Event