Areas of Study
International Development; West Africa (politics, borderlands, counter-terrorism); French West Indies; Francophonie; Religion and Politics; Genocide; Jewish studies (Israel, Diaspora, Holocaust); Postcolonial Identity
Selected Publications
- Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2013.
- My African Horse Problem. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 2008.
- Zion in the Desert. American Jews in Israel’s Reform Kibbutzim. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007. Finalist for a 2007 National Jewish Book Award
- Political Islam in West Africa. State-Society Relations Transformed. Boulder & London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2007
- Bridging Mental Boundaries in a Postcolonial Microcosm: Identity and Development in Vanuatu. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1998
- Imperial Burdens: Countercolonialism in Former French India. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner, 1995
- Hausaland Divided: Colonialism and Independence in Nigeria and Niger. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1994 (Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book and Encyclopedia Brittanica Book of the Year distinction)
- Elections in Nigeria: A Grassroots Perspective. London: Lynne Rienner, 1988
- Elections and Ethnicity in French Martinique: A Paradox in Paradise. New York: Praeger, 1986
- “Among the ‘Jubos’ on the Festival of Lights.” Transition 105 (2011).
- “Bulls, Goats, and Pedagogy: Engaging Students in Overseas Development Aid.” PS: Political Science and Politics 42 (2009)
- “An Unquiet Sabbatical.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 55:20 (2009)
- “The Rabbi’s Well: A Case Study in the Micropolitics of Foreign Aid in Muslim West Africa.” African Studies Review 51:1 (2008)
- “Islamism in West Africa: Internal Dynamics and U.S. Responses.” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs 32:2 (2008)
- “Letter from Ouagadougou.” The Antioch Review 64:1 (2006)
- “The Niger We Should Know.” The Boston Globe (August 2005)
Selected Professional Activities
- National Public Radio Commentator
- “Horse Problem” (click on “Real Media”)
- “African Horse Lesson” (click on “Real Media”)
- “E-mails from Africa” (click on “Real Media”)
- “Faith and Compassion”
- “Race”
- “Kindness”
- “Dropped G’s” (click on “Real Media”)
- Interview on Tell Me More with Michelle Martin
- Interview on Here and Now with Sacha Pfeiffer
- Symposium Convenor
- National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer Research Stipend grantee, 2007
- Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research grantee (American Philosophical Society), 2005
- Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies, 1998-2002
- Robert D. Klein Lecturer, 2001
- Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Fellowship for Africa (Mauritius), 1996-1997
- Visiting Research Scholar, Harry S Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1994
- Visiting Scholar, Department of Economic History, University of Sydney, Australia, 1991
- Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Fellowship for the Pacific Islands, 1991
Recent Courses
Graduate
- POLS 7325- Contemporary Issues in Third World Development
- POLS 7326- International Development Administration
Undergraduate
Videos
The following video is about Professor Miles’ most recent book, My African Horse Problem:
Professor Miles addresses the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at Syracuse University in its Contemplating Alternate Israeli Narratives for Peace series:
