William Miles Professor of Political Science b.miles@neu.edu 617.373.3950 Expertise Francophonie, French West Indies, genocide, international development, Jewish studies (Israel/Diaspora/Holocaust), postcolonial identity, religion and politics, West Africa (politics/borderlands/counter-terrorism) William Miles in the Press The lost Jews of Nigeria In his book Jews of Nigeria, William Miles, a political scientist at Boston’s Northeastern University, calls the community the world’s first “internet Jews”. Rhode Island Public Radio This I Believe Rhode Island: Trust Trust is an essential element in the human species. We depend on trust for our very survival. An infant cannot survive without being able to trust her nurturing parent. Marriages that lack trust hit a dead end. Handshakes that seal a business deal assume genuine trust, which sometimes springs from a leap of faith. As […] Then and now: France, the French language and the holy land Twenty years ago, my research into French-speakers in Israel and Palestine seemed like an obscure topic to a lot of friends and colleagues. With the current uptick in terrorist-triggered emigration from France to Israel, it is anything but. There has long been an ambivalent relationship between France and the Holy Land, between French and the […] Rhode Island Public Radio This I believe Rhode Island: Brotherhood The kindness of strangers. How wonderful it is when, out of the pure goodness of their hearts, complete strangers step in to rescue us in moments of peril. When it occurs, unvarnished altruism is remarkable. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will […] Tablet Judaism added to the African Studies agenda For the first time in its 57-year history, the African Studies Association’s annual conference this year offered panels discussing the rising tide of Black Judaism—communities in sub-Saharan Africa and in the African Diaspora identifying themselves as descendants of Jews or practicing some form of Judaism. I attended the November conference along with 1,600 participants from […] The Islamic State won’t find it easy to wipe away post-colonial borders Does the triumph of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq herald the undoing of colonial-era boundaries elsewhere in the Middle East and Third World? Are other graves turning than those marked “Here Lies Sir Mark Sykes and Ci-gît François Georges Picot” – those of their partners in partition? It should not be overlooked: Nearly […] Breaking down ‘Boko Haram’ I distinctly recall the moment when I first learned the word boko, now notorious as half the name of the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. (“Haram” means “forbidden” or “sinful.”) I was living in a remote, rural borderland straddling the border between northern Nigeria and Niger Republic in the early 1980s, conducting research as a […] A Used Book, a Lost Era It can be a small world, this niche buying of used scholarly books on Amazon. It can also be a sobering one. I am on the lookout for both rare books in my field and copies of my own publications that are being sold way below list price. The former helps me remain current in […] New English Review Igbo Jews of Nigeria Strive to Study and Practice A much more recent phenomenon has been a movement among some Igbo to match their tradition of Jewish descent with the learning of Hebrew and the practice of Judaism. Outside of Nigeria, there has been growing interest in the country’s Igbo Jews, who now number somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000. In 2012, New York filmmaker Jeff […] William Miles for Northeastern Global News Escaping Niger: Northeastern professor describes his experience being caught in the middle of a military coup in West Africa Escaping Niger: Northeastern professor describes his experience being caught in the middle of a military coup in West Africa Niger’s military jeeps equipped with heavy gunnery circled the airport. Inside, hundreds of alarmed and frustrated people awaited evacuation. Northeastern professor in Niger takes shelter after soldiers stage coup in West African nation Northeastern professor in Niger takes shelter after soldiers stage coup in West African nation William Miles, who travels extensively across Africa, says his major concern is the international response and possible use of armed forces. The world’s first ‘Internet Jews’ The world’s first ‘Internet Jews’ The Igbos of Nigeria have embraced rabbinic Judaism and learned the Hebrew language through songs and prayers found on the Internet.
The lost Jews of Nigeria In his book Jews of Nigeria, William Miles, a political scientist at Boston’s Northeastern University, calls the community the world’s first “internet Jews”.
Rhode Island Public Radio This I Believe Rhode Island: Trust Trust is an essential element in the human species. We depend on trust for our very survival. An infant cannot survive without being able to trust her nurturing parent. Marriages that lack trust hit a dead end. Handshakes that seal a business deal assume genuine trust, which sometimes springs from a leap of faith. As […]
Then and now: France, the French language and the holy land Twenty years ago, my research into French-speakers in Israel and Palestine seemed like an obscure topic to a lot of friends and colleagues. With the current uptick in terrorist-triggered emigration from France to Israel, it is anything but. There has long been an ambivalent relationship between France and the Holy Land, between French and the […]
Rhode Island Public Radio This I believe Rhode Island: Brotherhood The kindness of strangers. How wonderful it is when, out of the pure goodness of their hearts, complete strangers step in to rescue us in moments of peril. When it occurs, unvarnished altruism is remarkable. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will […]
Tablet Judaism added to the African Studies agenda For the first time in its 57-year history, the African Studies Association’s annual conference this year offered panels discussing the rising tide of Black Judaism—communities in sub-Saharan Africa and in the African Diaspora identifying themselves as descendants of Jews or practicing some form of Judaism. I attended the November conference along with 1,600 participants from […]
The Islamic State won’t find it easy to wipe away post-colonial borders Does the triumph of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq herald the undoing of colonial-era boundaries elsewhere in the Middle East and Third World? Are other graves turning than those marked “Here Lies Sir Mark Sykes and Ci-gît François Georges Picot” – those of their partners in partition? It should not be overlooked: Nearly […]
Breaking down ‘Boko Haram’ I distinctly recall the moment when I first learned the word boko, now notorious as half the name of the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. (“Haram” means “forbidden” or “sinful.”) I was living in a remote, rural borderland straddling the border between northern Nigeria and Niger Republic in the early 1980s, conducting research as a […]
A Used Book, a Lost Era It can be a small world, this niche buying of used scholarly books on Amazon. It can also be a sobering one. I am on the lookout for both rare books in my field and copies of my own publications that are being sold way below list price. The former helps me remain current in […]
New English Review Igbo Jews of Nigeria Strive to Study and Practice A much more recent phenomenon has been a movement among some Igbo to match their tradition of Jewish descent with the learning of Hebrew and the practice of Judaism. Outside of Nigeria, there has been growing interest in the country’s Igbo Jews, who now number somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000. In 2012, New York filmmaker Jeff […]