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 Lewis & Clark. 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.

Dr. Wahab was the first person in his family’s history to attend the village school, a boarding school in Kabul, and receive scholarships to attend college in Lebanon and the US. Thus far, Dr. Wahab is the only Afghan with a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Since joining Lewis & Clark College, Dr. Wahab has designed and taught about 40 graduate and undergraduate courses ranging from educational anthropology to international political economy. Currently, he 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 Sweden, Japan, 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 served as senior advisor to the Minister of Higher Education in Afghanistan 2002-2006 and as a visiting researcher-professor in a masters degree program for teacher education faculty from Afghanistan’s 16 teacher training colleges 2007-2010. He has been spending about four months annually in that country since 2002. Dr. Wahab has written and presented numerous papers at regional, national, and international forums on education, and he is a frequent speaker at educational, civic and media organizations. Professor Wahab has been “professor of the year” and profiled in the Stanford Magazine, Academe, The Portland Alliance, The Oregonian, The Lake Oswego Review and Lewis & Clark’s The Chronicle Magazine for his achievements and for his services in the U.S. and Afghanistan. Wahab’s full CV and further information are 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