The Northern Illinois University History Department will hold a discussion about how Western diplomacy affected Middle East stability, hosted by author and historian Ussama Makdisi.

The free lecture, part of NIU’s Lincoln Lecture Series, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in the NIU Altgeld Auditorium.

Makdisi will discuss his upcoming novel, “Last Colonialism: From Paris to Palestine in 1919.” The novel explores how early 20th-century Western colonial diplomacy led to the Arab East partition and the unfolding Palestine crisis.

Makdisi is a Chancellor’s Chair and history professor at the University of California, Berkley. He has written four books about the religious, cultural, and colonial foundations of the modern Arab world. Makdisi worked at Rice University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin.

He was recognized as a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation. Makdisi has been published on Ottoman and Arab history, U.S.–Arab relations, and U.S. missionary work in the Middle East. He also had an article published in the Journal of American History and the American Historical Review.

The W. Bruce Lincoln Endowed Lecture Series addresses topics of interest to the academic community and public and engages in key issues in the spirit of Professor Lincoln’s research, writing and teaching.

For information, email ahanley@niu.edu.