Amira K. Bennison is a professor of the history and culture of the Maghreb at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Cambridge. She is a fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge.[1]
Professor
Amira K. Bennison
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|---|---|
| Born |
Katherine Nicole Bennison
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| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Magdelene College, University of Cambridge |
| Main interests | Medieval Middle Eastern and Maghreb history |
| Notable works |
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Bennison studied history at Cambridge University, graduating in 1989[2] before switching to Arabic. She then pursued graduate work, with an MA at Harvard in Middle Eastern Studies in 1992, and her PhD at SOAS in Moroccan History in 1996.[2]
Bennison began her career as a Leverhulme research fellow at the University of Manchester. She began lecturing at Cambridge University in 1997,[2] before going on to become a fully tenured member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.[1]
She has made several TV appearances to speak about the history of the Middle East and North Africa, and regularly contributes to BBC Radio 4's In Our Time. She has also appeared on the BBC You're Dead to Me podcast.[1]
Bennison's 2009 book The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire was reviewed by Hugh N. Kennedy, who said she has "a lively and engaging style", and the book will be "the first port of call for anyone looking for an introduction to the 'golden age of Islam'."[3]
In 2022, Bennison was elected chair of the Cambridge University Press academic committee.[1]