hello
my name is Layla [they/them].
Right now, I am Postdoctoral Fellow at Macalester College in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. My research traces how Arab feminists talk about and experience chronic illnesses like depression, autoimmunity, chronic pain, and anxiety. I use literature, oral histories, poetry, and biomedical research to understand how and why Arab women are left out of Western discourse on health.
I am chronically ill and come from a lineage of chronically ill Arab and Egyptian women who have had their lives cut short due to medical negligence, colonialism, state and interpersonal violence. This is not unique to me or my family which is precisely why I center the voices of sick women in my writing and teaching.
Feel free to explore this cite to learn more about my research, teaching, and passions.
Degrees:
Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California, 2025
M.A. in American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California, 2022.
M.A. in Women’s Studies, San Diego State University, 2018.
B.A. in Psychology and Critical Gender Studies, University of California, San Diego, 2016.
A.A. Psychology, San Diego Mesa College, 2013.
To see Layla’s full CV, click here
To see some of Layla’s publications, click here
Email:
lzbinden@macalester.edu
Pages:
curriculum vite
teaching
publications
public facing work
passions
layla zbinden 