The International and Global Studies Program within the Department of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Programs is thrilled to welcome Nehal Amer as the inaugural 2025-2026 Marina Fernando Guest Lecturer.
Amer is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center and her work focuses on the politics and imaginaries of urban development, examining how processes of speculation, capital investment, and state planning shape urban spaces and the social worlds they produce. Her current project investigates how Egypt’s desert urbanization projects are sites of speculative practices that mediate class subjectivities, urban futures, and the political imaginaries of development.
Amer’s own experience of crafting a niche for herself as an academic will greatly influence her new role as guest lecturer, a fact she’s happy to embrace “my own path has moved across public policy research, advocacy, and philanthropy. Along the way, I pursued graduate studies in Middle East Studies and Cultural Anthropology, which deepened my understanding of how people navigate economic and political transformations such as urban change and economic precarity, and how those transformations shape everyday life and aspirations for the future. Together, these experiences shape how I approach this role.”
Reflecting on what this new role means for her own professional trajectory, Amer shares “having studied international affairs as an undergraduate student, I remember the uncertainty of finding direction within such a broad field after graduation. This role represents an opportunity to bridge academic learning with real-world engagement. I see this role as an opportunity to help students cultivate a sense of confidence and purpose in their studies and think critically about their place in the world and the kinds of futures they want to build.”
In her capacity as a mentor to undergraduate students, Amer will design and lead initiatives that expose students to a range of career pathways, while providing tailored, hands-on guidance to those applying for competitive fellowships, internships, and post-graduate opportunities, helping them strengthen their applications and articulate their goals.
The Marina Fernando Guest Lectureship
Established in 2024, this Lectureship honors Marina Fernando, Emerita Director of International Studies and Study Abroad, and is awarded to a practitioner or practitioner-academic whose research focuses on the Global South. The program was funded by a group of alumni in recognition of the impact Fernando had on their lives. Over the course of the academic year, the Marina Fernando Guest Lecturer teaches one class each semester and gives a public lecture in the spring. The Guest Lecturer also mentors undergraduate students regarding careers in the fields of international and global studies.
