Personal Statement

"We live in an extremely troubling time. The majority of humanity is plagued by sickening poverty, disease, illiteracy, oppression and terror, while the minorities enjoy obscenely opulent and self-indulgent lives. Misery, oppression (and/or repression) reign even in so-called civilized democracies. Militarism, corporatism, consumerism and corruption dominate societies, leading to predatory individualism, narcissism, nihilism, ecocide and wars. Mindless materialism and 'progress' have destabilized nations, ruptured communities and disturbed the natural order. Conventional education, politics, economics and culture are now part and perpetrators of the multiple crises we face. A new and different education could enable us to redirect, or arrest our collective march toward the abyss."

Professional Biography

Zaher Wahab brings a rich and varied background to his work at Lewis & Clark College. He was born and schooled in Afghanistan, received a B.A. in sociology from the American University of Beirut, an M.A. in comparative education from Teachers College, Columbia University and an M.A. in anthropology and a Ph.D. in international development education from Stanford University. Since joining Lewis & Clark, Professor Wahab has designed and taught about forty different graduate and undergraduate courses ranging from educational anthropology to international political economy. He currently teaches Foundations of Education, Race-Culture-Power, Paulo Freire, and the Middle East in Global Perspective. Dr. Wahab has planned and led college-sponsored overseas studies programs to Portugal, South Korea, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, India and China. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt, Turkmenistan and twice in Kazakhstan. Dr. Wahab serves as a senior advisor to the Minister of Higher Education in Afghanistan, and has been spending about five months annually in that country since 2002. He has written and presented numerous papers at regional, national and international forums on comparative and international education, as well as area studies. He is a frequent speaker in Oregon educational, civic and media organizations. Professor Wahab has been "professor of the year" and profiled in the Stanford Magazine, Academe, Lonely Planet and The Oregonian several times for his achievements and for his services in the U.S. and Afghanistan. Wahab's full CV, and any further information is available upon request.

Current Projects

Professor Wahab's current professional focus is on education reconstruction under conditions of war; development and underdevelopment; education reform in the U.S.; the continued crisis in the Middle East; and identity politics.

Academic Credentials

Ph.D. 1972, M.A. 1972 Stanford University
M.A. 1968 Teachers College, Columbia University
B.A. 1965 American University of Beirut