Prof. Brian Mann
Senior Instructor, Department Advisor Office: 2566 - Coleman HallEmail: bmann@eiu.edu
INTRODUCTION
I am a historian of the modern Middle East with a specialization in 19th/20th century Iran. I teach undergraduate and honors courses on Middle Eastern history, Islamic history, and world history, as well as upper-level courses on modern Iran, the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and British imperialism. I also often teach students Persian as an independent study. My main research interests are nationalism, social movements, and imperialism, as they relate to modern Iran and the Middle East in general, and I am particularly interested in the region of Khuzistan (Iran's southwestern and oil-rich province which sits along the border with Iraq on the Persian Gulf). I am the department's undergraduate advisor.
Frequently Taught Courses
HIS 1526G/1596G: World History: The 20th-Century World
HIS 1527G/1599G: World History: Gaming the Past
HIS 2020G: U.S. since 1877
HIS 3200: Islamic History
HIS 3210: Modern Middle East
HIS 3555: Modern World
HIS 3600G: U.S. Constitution and the Nation
HIS 4775: Special Topics: The British Empire & the Islamic World
HIS 4781: The Arab-Israeli Conflict
HIS 4782: Modern Iran
HIS 47701/59901: Independent Study: Persian Language
HIS 57001: Seminar in Nationalism and National Identity
HIS 57002: Seminar in the Islamic World & the West
Professional Affiliations
Middle East Studies Association
International Society for Iranian Studies
Research & Creative Interests
Modern Middle East, 19th- & 20th-century Iran, Khuzistan, nationalism, tribal & ethnic groups, imperialism, urbanization, labor, social movements
Mann, Brian. “The Khuzistani Arab Movement, 1941–1946: A Case of Nationalism?” In Rethinking Iranian Nationalism and Modernity, edited by Kamran Scot Aghaie and Afshin Marashi, 113–36. University of Texas Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/757493.9
Education & Training
University of Texas at Austin
Hofstra University
The Critical Language Scholarship Program, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Eastern Consortium in Persian and Turkish, The Ohio State University
Office Hours
Spring 2026: TR 8:00-9:30; W (on Zoom): 9:00-11:00
Languages Spoken
Persian (research proficient)