Benjamin Shwadran
Encyclopedia
Dr. Benjamin Shwadran is an author and professor of Middle Eastern studies
. He was born in the Old City of Jerusalem.
, where he received a doctorate in 1945.
at Dropsie College and Yeshiva University
. Shwadran then taught as a Professor of political science at Hofstra University
. Shwadran spent the 1968–69 academic year as a visiting research associate at the Shiloah Center (precursor of the Moshe Dayan Center). In 1973, he retired to Jerusalem, and continued to teach as a Professor of Modern Middle East History at Tel Aviv University
and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
.
. The AZEC later created a spin-off, the Council for Middle Eastern Affairs, which sponsored a monthly journal, Middle Eastern Affairs. Shwadran was Editor of the journal and of the Council for Middle Eastern Affairs Press from January 1950 until December 1963. The collection covers the entire Middle East, but is strongest for mandatory Palestine, the first decade of Israeli independence, Arab-Jewish and Arab-Israeli relations, and American Zionism.
Middle Eastern studies
Middle Eastern studies is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is generally interpreted to cover a range of nations extending from North Africa in the west to the Chinese...
. He was born in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Education
Shwadran was one of the first students (and the youngest) to enroll in the Institute of Jewish Studies at the new Hebrew University, when it began to offer instruction in 1924. Shwadran went to the US in 1927, and completed his studies at Clark UniversityClark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, where he received a doctorate in 1945.
Academia
Shwadran first taught Middle Eastern studies at the New School for Social Research in New York, and then as Professor of Middle Eastern studies and Director of the Middle East InstituteMiddle East Institute
The Middle East Institute is a non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, DC. Founded in 1946, MEI is the oldest institution in Washington dedicated exclusively to the study of the Middle East. Its founder, architect and philanthropist George Camp Keiser, assembled a team of...
at Dropsie College and Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
. Shwadran then taught as a Professor of political science at Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. Shwadran spent the 1968–69 academic year as a visiting research associate at the Shiloah Center (precursor of the Moshe Dayan Center). In 1973, he retired to Jerusalem, and continued to teach as a Professor of Modern Middle East History at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
.
Publications
His major books include The Middle East, Oil, and the Great Powers (1955, 1959, and 1973), Jordan, A State of Tension (1959; The University of Chicago Press), The Power Struggle in Iraq (1960), and Middle East Oil Crises since 1973 (1986).Shawdran Collection
The Moshe Dayan Center is home to the Shwadran Collection, a collection of press clippings and documents first assembled by Shwadran in his capacity as head of the research department of the American Zionist Emergency Council (AZEC), a coordinating body of American Zionist organizations, associated with Cleveland rabbi Abba Hillel SilverAbba Hillel Silver
Abba Hillel Silver was a U.S. Rabbi and Zionist leader. He was a key figure in the mobilization of American support for the founding of the State of Israel.-Biography:...
. The AZEC later created a spin-off, the Council for Middle Eastern Affairs, which sponsored a monthly journal, Middle Eastern Affairs. Shwadran was Editor of the journal and of the Council for Middle Eastern Affairs Press from January 1950 until December 1963. The collection covers the entire Middle East, but is strongest for mandatory Palestine, the first decade of Israeli independence, Arab-Jewish and Arab-Israeli relations, and American Zionism.