Norman Stillman, in 2017">Bar-Ilan University in 2017
Norman Arthur Stillman, also Noam (נועם, in Hebrew; born 1945), is a
Jewish-American
American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
,
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
, and
Orientalist, serving as the emeritus Schusterman-Josey Professor and emeritus
Chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
of
Judaic History at the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
. He specializes in the intersection of
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish and
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic culture and history, and in
Oriental
The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world.
In English, it is largely a meto ...
and
Sephardi
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
Jewry, with special interest in the Jewish communities in
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
. His major publications are ''The Jews of Arab Lands: a History And Source Book'' and ''Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity''. In the last few years, Stillman has been the executive editor of the "Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World", a project that includes over 2000 entries in 5 volumes.
Biography
Stillman studied at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, receiving the
B.A. (''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'') in 1967 and
Ph.D. in
Oriental Studies
Oriental studies is the academic field that studies Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology. In recent years, the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Middle Eastern studie ...
in 1970,
Shelomo Dov Goitein
Shelomo Dov Goitein (April 3, 1900 – February 6, 1985) was a German-Jewish ethnographer, historian and Arabist known for his research on Jewish life in the Islamic Middle Ages, and particularly on the Cairo Geniza.
Biography
Shelomo Dov (Frit ...
being his thesis advisor. He was a post-doctoral
fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
. He has received numerous academic honors, among them the
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SUNY-Binghamton award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He delivered the Momigliano Lectures for the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
's Committee on Social Thought and the Sherman Lectures for the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
. He was
Lady Davis Fellow at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
in 1994-1995 and visiting fellow at the
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at
Tel-Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
. He received the
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
Melton Center's Distinguished Humanist award in 2000 and was a visiting scholar at the
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (; ), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French Grand Etablissement with a specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. Its coverage spans languages of Central Europ ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 2001-2002.
[Staff and Students](_blank)
, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, University of Oklahoma Stillman also appears in the 2005 film, ''
The Hebrew Project''. Stillman is the Chair of the Academic Committee of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA).
Stillman was married to the late , Professor of
Near East
The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
ern History and Languages, also at the University of Oklahoma, with whom he worked closely. He is the father to two children (a daughter and a son) and the grandfather of five.
Research and activities
Stillman's current research projects are the Jewish Society and Community in North Africa in the Modern Period and Jewish and Islamic Languages as cultural phenomena. His research has included work on modern
folk medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...
,
magic, and
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
pharmacology
Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...
, which have been published in "The Language and Culture of the Jews of Sefrou", as well as in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, the Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, and the Dictionary of the Middle Ages. He was editor of the journal of the Association for Jewish Studies from 1989-1999. Stillman teaches courses in Medieval Jewish History, Jewish
Historiography
Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...
, and the History of
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
.
In 2005, he held the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Committee annual public lecture of the Center for Arts and Humanities,
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
.
Grants Awarded in 2004-2005
, Center for Arts and Humanities University of Missouri
Publications
* ''The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book'' (1979)
* ''The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times'' (1991)
* ''The Language and Culture of the Jews of Sefrou: An Ethnolinguistic Study'' (1988)
* ''Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity'' (1995)
* '' Samuel Romanell's Travail in an Arab Land'' (1989, in collaboration with Yedida Kalfon Stillman)
* ''From Iberia to Diaspora: Studies in Sephardic History and Culture'' (1998)
* ''Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity'' (1995)
* ''Meḥḳere 'edot u-Genizah'' (1981)
* ''Studies in Judaism and Islam'' presented to Shelomo Dov Goitein on the occasion of his eightieth birthday by his students, colleagues, and friends (1981)
* ''Arab Dress: A Short History: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times'' by Yedida Kalfon Stillman and edited by Norman A. Stillman (2000)
Notes
sefroucity.com
External links
with the University of Oklahoma, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
with the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies
Stillman's entry
with B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...
International
Dialogue addresses Jewish, Muslim history: N. Stillman speaks about Jewish-Muslim relations
by Chris Lang, The Daily Targum
''The Daily Targum'' is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University. Founded in 1867, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The ''Daily Targum'' is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of ...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, December 3, 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stillman, Norman
1945 births
20th-century American educators
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American educators
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
Academics of SOAS University of London
American Islamic studies scholars
American male non-fiction writers
American medievalists
American orientalists
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Historians of Jews and Judaism
Islam and politics
Jewish American historians
Jewish orientalists
Jewish scholars of Islam
Jewish Theological Seminary of America people
Judaic scholars
Living people
Middle Eastern studies in the United States
Scholars of medieval Islamic history
Tel Aviv University people
University of Oklahoma faculty
University of Pennsylvania alumni
21st-century American Jews