WASHINGTON, January 11, 2024 – The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington is pleased to announce that Alia Yunis has joined the institute as a visiting scholar.

Yunis’ work, which largely focuses on negotiating cultural memory and heritage in the Arab and Muslim worlds, has been translated into 10 languages. She has taught film and heritage studies at NYU Abu Dhabi and Zayed University (United Arab Emirates) for 14 years. Yunis’ most recent feature documentary, “The Golden Harvest,” about the interconnected histories of the olive tree, continues to play in festivals and other venues. It is the inspiration for the research she will be doing at AGSIW on the United States, Gulf, and date palm, a surprising history that predates the discovery of oil by more than 50 years. In addition to publishing the research, she is developing it into the film “Datelines.” In 2010, she co-founded the Zayed University Middle East Film Festival, now the longest-running film festival in the Gulf. Yunis began her career as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, working as a reporter for the late, critically acclaimed New York Times journalist David Carr. She received an MA in film from American University and a PhD in heritage and memory studies from the University of Amsterdam.

Yunis commented, “The intersection of climate change, trees, and heritage in the Arabic-speaking region has become my research passion. I’m delighted to pursue it at AGSIW, an organization whose research has inspired my own work. I look forward to contributing to AGSIW’s growing importance as a source of information on the Gulf.”

AGSIW Executive Vice President William Roebuck said “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Yunis as a visiting scholar and have this opportunity to collaborate with her. Alia’s work, using film to elaborate on the histories of and challenges faced by the olive tree and the date palm, pivots on the impact of heritage and climate change in the region. AGSIW is privileged to host Alia as she continues this critical scholarly and artistic work.”

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The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to highlighting the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf region through free and open exchange of multiple points of view on issues that concern the Gulf.

AGSIW strives to support this goal by:

• Providing expert analysis and thoughtful debate on the economic, energy, environmental, security, social, cultural, and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states as well as their relations with the United States and other countries.
• Informing a global audience of policymakers, legislators, businesspeople, academics, media, youth, and others as the foundation for strategic decisions regarding this important region.
• Employing multiple avenues to inform public understanding of the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf Arab states.
• Encouraging strong academic coverage by developing scholars who concentrate on the study of the region.