Albert Hourani

Albert Hourani (1915-1993) was one of the most significant scholars of Middle Eastern history in the latter half of the 20th century. He was born in Manchester to Lebanese parents and studied philosophy, politics, economics, and history at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. During World War II, he worked at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and in the office of the British Foreign Secretary in Cairo. After the war, he continued to work on Arab affairs in Jerusalem and London. In 1948, he began his academic career teaching at Oxford colleges, including Magdalen and St. Antony's, where he established and directed the Middle East Centre, as well as at the American University of Beirut, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard. Hourani trained more academic historians of the modern Middle East than any other university historian of his generation. Additionally, he authored some of the most important books on the Arab world, with his most renowned work being "A History of the Arab Peoples." This book has been fully updated since the author's death and is an international bestseller. Hourani's influence in the field of Middle Eastern studies has been so valuable that the most prestigious award for academic books on the Middle East bears his name.