By CNES
Thanks to the Foreign Languages and Area Studies (FLAS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies has awarded six FLAS fellowships for Summer 2025 to both undergraduate and graduate students at UCLA. These six recipients, hailing from four different departments, have dedicated much of their summer to intensive language study focused on the languages of the MENA region through summer programs both in the United States and abroad.
Hani (Hana) Abramson is a doctoral student in History, focusing her research on Jewish beauty pageants across various parts of the world during the 20th century. Abramson investigates “popular visualizations” of “female Jewishness,” exploring how Jewish communities in diverse locations engaged in dialogues regarding ethnic aesthetics amidst a century marked by significant upheaval and transformation. She has already conducted research on pageants in interwar Warsaw and Tel Aviv, and she aims to broaden her study to include Baghdad as well as several cities in North America and Australia with notable Jewish populations.
“I am incredibly grateful to be a recipient of a FLAS award that allowed me to greatly strengthen my Arabic-language skills over the summer. I look forward to continuing to work toward Arabic fluency and to bring that fluency to my archival research of Jewish history in Palestine and in Iraq,” said Abramson.
Cecelia Fischer, a senior at UCLA majoring in History with a minor in Arabic, is preparing to begin her graduate studies this fall, concentrating on the intersection of Jewish history and religion. This summer, Fischer has dedicated her time to enhancing her Hebrew language skills, which will serve as a crucial foundation for her transition from undergraduate studies to her upcoming doctoral research in European and Middle Eastern Jewish history. During her graduate program, Fischer intends to explore how the Jewish historical perspective, shaped within and in response to the Jewish-Protestant dialectic in Europe, has been directed toward the Middle East. Already proficient in Arabic, Fischer plans to incorporate Hebrew into her research and future academic endeavors.
Ayla Gizlice, a graduate student poised to receive her Master’s degree in Fine Arts this fall, dedicated her summer to studying Turkish at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. As a heritage speaker, Gizlice’s connection to the language is deeply personal and professional. Her artwork delves into themes of diaspora and hybridization, drawing inspiration from the Turkish landscape, the lifestyle of Anatolian nomads, and both contemporary and historical Turkish literature, including myths. To enrich her understanding and enhance her artistic practice, Gizlice focused on mastering her Turkish language skills, enabling her to access original texts that significantly influence her work.
Morgan Hartshorn is a Master's student in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, focusing on Arabic. She entered the program without prior knowledge of the language and is currently working to acquire the necessary skills for her archival and field research, which will support her future dissertation project on vocal performance practices during the Abbasid and Fatimid eras.
Adam Lubitz is a doctoral candidate specializing in Architecture and Urban Design. His research centers on "defining and establishing the efficacy of various architectural forms and archival methods as means of facilitating reparations," with a particular focus on Jewish heritage and archival sites across multiple regions, including Morocco, Israel, and Palestine. Lubitz aims to leverage his proficiency in Hebrew and Arabic to enhance his future research within the MENA region at large and Jewish history specifically.
Askhaan Kashani is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, specializing in Iranian Studies. Kashani's research, rooted in Persian language and literature, explores the continuum between classical and modern Persian poetics. During the summer, Kashani studied Arabic to gain a deeper understanding of the diachrony of Arabo-Persian literature and to position Persian within a broader context of literary modernities, with Arabic serving as its closest geographical counterpart.
“Thanks to the FLAS award, I was able to spend two months at an intensive Arabic program over the summer. My Arabic has improved drastically after this experience, and (…) I expect to continue studying Arabic in the immediate future in order to build on what I have learned and further my research goals,” said Kashani.