Dr. Louise Cainkar, professor of Social and Cultural Sciences and director of Peace Studies at Marquette University, discussed how she became interested in researching human rights and her scholarship on the impact of 9/11 on Arab and Muslim communities. She also shared about the value of Marquette’s Peace Studies program, including opportunities to participate in programs such as the recent Engaging Muslims, Countering Islamophobia immersion. To close the episode, Cainkar discusses the need for human dignity in addressing immigration and the role hope plays in sustaining her research, teaching, and advocacy.

Cainkar is the author of Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11 (https://www.russellsage.org/publications/book/homeland-insecurity-0). Resources mentioned include Council on American-Islamic Relations (https://www.cair.com/), Institute for Social Policy & Understanding (https://ispu.org/), and The Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University (https://bridge.georgetown.edu/).