By Sarah R. Schwartz ’10

Samer Abboud Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History and International Studies, joined the Arcadia community this fall. His areas of interests include political economy, migration/mobility, and citizenship, particularly within the context of the non-Western world. In his free time, Abboud plays defense for a Philadelphia recreational league hockey team and is excited to get involved in some of the extra-curricular activities hosted and supported by Arcadia.

Born and raised in Canada, Abboud earned his Ph.D. from the University of Exeter’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in the United Kingdom. He has published in journals such as New Political Science and Arab Studies Quarterly, as well as a number of contributed book chapters, all in press.  In addition, Abboud has written two monographs on Syria’s political economy, focusing specifically on Syrian Trade Policy and Marketization.

Currently, Abboud also serves as Managing Editor of the International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing original articles on contemporary Iraqi society, politics, culture, and economy.

Abboud believes that Arcadia’s solid commitment to a distinctively global education, and small student-teacher ratio offers students the best opportunities to engage and experience different ideas, experiences, and practices. “[These aspects are] very important for someone like myself who teaches International Studies classes, and it goes a long way to supporting the kind of classroom environment that is essential for me to satisfy my own teaching goals,” he says. “It allows the professors to have a more meaningful and substantive engagement with students—a necessity in a successful learning environment.”

“I really hope to be in a community that is excited about sharing its collective experiences, and Arcadia is an ideal space for the exchange of ideas and experiences,” he says. “Arcadia administration and faculty have given a great deal of thought and attention to the ways in which study abroad programs are structured to ensure that it is a positive personal learning experience for students, and I hope that I can continue to provide students with the kinds of support my colleagues have been giving them.”

Abboud resides in Philadelphia with the two professed loves of his life, his wife, Sonia Rosen, and their one-year-old daughter, Kalila.