For decades, UC Davis anthropology professor Suad Joseph has studied media representations of Muslim women, work that led to her founding an award-winning encyclopedia on Islam and women that today is the only reference of its kind in the world.

Suad Joseph, Distinguished Research Professor of Anthropology and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, is among a cohort of three interdisciplinary teams awarded $45,000 each from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to advance public understanding of global religions. The new award builds on an ongoing UC Davis project on Muslim women and the media, as well as a New York Times media project, both led by Joseph. “Decolonizing the Representation of Muslim Women in the Media: Training Next Generation Journalists” is an extension of Joseph's 25 years as general editor of "Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures."

Calling her an “institutional cornerstone,” the Middle East Studies Association of North America recently presented its annual Jere L. Bacharach Service Award to Distinguished Professor Suad Joseph. The award recognizes outstanding service to the association and the profession, and is named after the University of Washington historian who received the honor in 2004.

With hate crimes against Muslim Americans on the rise—and Muslim women in headscarves a frequent target—a UC Davis professor is launching a program to better educate future U.S. journalists about Islamic cultures and Muslim women.

Persian studies at UC Davis are taking another leap forward with the launch of a new minor, a growing faculty and the creation of an endowed chair in Persian language and literature.