Tarek El-Ariss, born in Beirut in 1973 during the Lebanese Civil War, is the James Wright Professor and Chair of Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth College. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the American University of Beirut and a PhD in Comparative Literature from Cornell University. His research spans philosophy, literary studies, and visual and cultural studies, focusing on modernity, the nation, and community in Arabic and comparative literature, visual and popular culture, and new media.