Discovering Arab Indianapolis: An Interview with Edward Curtis IV

Authors

  • Edward Curtis IV Indiana University Author
  • Lindsey Waldenberg North Carolina State University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24847/v12i12025.617

Keywords:

Arab American, public history, Indiana, documentary

Abstract

In Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History, author and historian Edward E. Curtis IV explores the origins and growth of the Arab American community in Indianapolis, Indiana. The documentary spans 120 years of history and discusses the city’s first Arabic-speaking neighborhood on Willard Street, important community anchors such as St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Indianapolis, and stories of trailblazing individuals whose contributions expanded Arab American representation and opportunities in Greater Indianapolis and beyond. The documentary, which premiered in 2022, is part of a larger project that began as a blog in March 2020. Since then, the “Arab Indianapolis” project has launched a book, developed K-12 lesson plans, hosted educator workshops, and, most recently, dedicated the city’s first memorial marker celebrating the city’s Arab American history. To watch Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History and explore other facets of the project, visit www.arabindianapolis.com.

Author Biographies

  • Edward Curtis IV, Indiana University

    Dr. Edward Curtis IV is William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of World Languages & Cultures at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis, where he also directs the Arabic and Islamic studies minor. He is the recipient of fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the American Academy of Religion, and the National Humanities Center. His written works include Muslims in America: A Short History and Muslims of the Heartland: How Syrian Immigrants Made a Home in the American Midwest, which won the 2023 Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Arab American Book Award from the Arab American National Museum.

  • Lindsey Waldenberg, North Carolina State University

    Lindsey Waldenberg is the managing editor for Mashriq & Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies. She is also Director of Research for the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies. 

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Published

2025-03-25

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Interviews

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Copyright (c) 2025 Edward Curtis IV, Lindsey Waldenberg (Author)

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The content of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.