Professor Diana Greenwald has been awarded the Best First Book Award by the American Political Science Association (APSA) Middle East and North Africa Politics Section for her Mayors in the Middle: Indirect Rule and Local Government in Occupied Palestine (Columbia University Press, 2024). The book explores the complex role of Palestinian mayors as both local leaders and intermediaries within a system of indirect rule under occupation. Drawing on extensive research, Greenwald examines how local governance can both challenge and reinforce broader systems of power, offering new insights into the relationship between authority, legitimacy, and everyday politics in conflict settings.
Greenwald, who guided the Colin Powell School’s students through informative sessions on Israel-Palestine and the conflict in Gaza during the 2023-24 academic year, is a leading voice in global discussions on governance and politics in the Middle East. This semester, Greenwald is teaching Political Systems of the Middle East as well as Research Methods for the MIA program. You can watch her previous interview with ABC7 here.
