Nahla Abdo

Nahla Abdo
Born	Nazareth
Occupation(s)	Academic, activist, professor emeritus
Years active	1977–2025
Known for	Anti-colonial feminism, settler colonialism, Indigenous resistance movements

Nahla Abdo is a distinguished academic activist and Professor Emeritus who formerly taught in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Carleton University. Having resided in Canada since the 1980s, she is acclaimed for her scholarly work on anti-colonial feminism, settler colonialism, and Indigenous resistance movements. Her research spans Palestine, Turtle Island, and the wider Middle East, with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of race, gender, class, and nationalism.

In 2025, Abdo was honored with the National Medal for Excellence in Feminist Scholarship in Canada, an annual accolade presented by the Centre for Feminist Research recognizing exceptional achievements in feminist academic inquiry.

Education and Career

Abdo obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Hebrew Literature from University of Haifa in 1975, followed by a Master of Arts in Philosophy in 1979. She pursued further graduate education in Canada, earning a Master of Arts (1982) and completing her Ph.D. in Sociology (1989) at the University of Toronto.

Her academic journey began as a lecturer at Haifa University between 1977 and 1979. After completing her doctorate, she held a lecturing position at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (1989–1990) and was appointed assistant professor at Queen's University at Kingston from 1990 to 1991. In 1991, she joined Carleton University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 1995, and attained full professorship by 2003. In recognition of her contributions, she was named Chancellor's Professor at Carleton in 2022, the institution’s most prestigious academic title. She retired in 2025.

Since 2010, Abdo has been an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, and since 2016 at York University. Additionally, she served as a status professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto from 2012 to 2018. Outside academic circles, she actively participates in advocacy efforts supporting Palestinian rights, Indigenous solidarity, and anti-racist initiatives, including involvement with Faculty for Palestine.

Research and Advocacy

Abdo’s scholarly focus encompasses anti-colonial feminism, settler colonialism, Indigenous resistance, and the intersections between race, gender, class, and nationalism. Her work investigates the lived experiences of Palestinian and Indigenous women, analyzing gendered aspects of conflict and colonial legacies across the Middle East and North America. She has authored influential publications such as Captive Revolution: Palestinian Women's Anti-Colonial Struggle within the Israeli Prison System and Women in Israel: Race, Gender and Citizenship. Her research is extensively referenced within feminist theory, nationalism studies, and Middle Eastern political discourse and has been translated into numerous languages.

Her essays and chapters have been featured in scholarly journals including the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, Studies in Political Economy, Critical Sociology, Relations, Postcolonial Directions in Education, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Women's Studies International Forum, Canadian Woman Studies, Race & Class, Feminist Studies, and Economic and Political Weekly. Primarily writing in English, her works have also been rendered into Arabic, French, German, among other languages. Recent contributions include "Racial Capitalism: From British Colonialism to the Settler Colonial Apartheid State," "Israel's Settler Colonialism and the Genocide in Gaza," and "The Palestine Exception, Racialization and Invisibilization."

Abdo has co-edited several volumes addressing colonialism, gender dynamics, and violence. Alongside Nur Masalha, she co-edited An Oral History of the Palestinian Nakba, which compiles eyewitness accounts of the 1948 Palestinian displacement. With Ronit Lentin, she co-edited Women and the Politics of Military Confrontation, exploring women's activism during conflict situations. She also collaborated with Shahrzad Mojab to co-edit Violence in the Name of Honour, which examines socio-political contexts surrounding honour-based violence.

She holds editorial board memberships for journals such as the Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, International Feminist Journal of Politics, and Studies in Social Justice. Her advisory roles extend to publications including the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, Postcolonial Directions in Education, Journal of Women, Politics and Policy, Alternative Routes; she has served as associate editor for the Journal of Comparative Family Studies as well as contributed to editorial boards for Canadian Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies International Forum.

Abdo has directed research initiatives funded by agencies like the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), including a SSHRC-supported project with Dorit Naaman entitled Media Images and Palestinian and Israeli Women Fighters. Supported by IDRC funding, she founded the Gender Research Unit within the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. Additional projects have focused on gender-based violence experiences, refugee compensation matters, and women's socio-economic conditions within Palestine.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Abdo provides consultancy services to organizations such as the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, United Nations bodies, and various NGOs. Her consultancy expertise includes analyzing gendered consequences of conflict, advocating for women's legal rights, addressing violence against women, and conducting gender assessments within Middle Eastern contexts. She has also organized and participated in international symposiums focused on Indigenous rights issues, women's empowerment, and anti-colonial resistance movements.

Monographs

• Abdo, Nahla (2014). Captive Revolution: The Anti-Colonial Resistance of Palestinian Women within Israeli Prisons. London: Pluto. .
• Abdo, Nahla (2011). Women in Israel: Citizenship, Race, and Gender. London: Zed Books. .
• Abdo, Nahla, editor (1996). Sociological Thought: Moving Beyond Eurocentric Perspectives. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press. .
• Abdo, Nahla (1987). Family, Women, and Social Transformation in the Middle East: The Palestinian Experience. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press. .

Edited Volumes

• Abdo, Nahla; Masalha, Nur, editors (2018). An Oral History of the Palestinian Nakba. London: Zed Books. .
• Mojab, Shahrzad; Abdo-Zubi, Nahla, editors (2004). Violence in the Name of Honour: Theoretical and Political Challenges. İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları. .
• Abdo, Nahla; Lenṭin, Ronit (2002). Women and the Politics of Military Confrontation: Gendered Narratives of Displacement among Palestinians and Israelis. New York: Berghahn Books. .