Fonds - Nancy and Joseph Jabbra Lebanese in Nova Scotia research files

Nancy (Walstrom) Jabbra, retired anthropology professor, was born in 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States to Octavia Seawell Walstrom and Douglas Peter Walstrom. She married Joseph G. Jabbra in August 1974 and is the mother of two children: Michael and Mary. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Anthropology in 1964 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, US; her Master of Arts (MA) in 1970 from Indiana University, Bloomington, US; and her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1975 from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, US. Dr. Jabbra worked as professor of Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia 1975 to 1990, then moved to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where she served as founding Chair of the Women’s Studies Department from 2004 until retirement in 2012. She has co-authored 18 books and book chapters and 33 articles in scholarly journals and she was a member of 20 professional societies, served as President of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association from 1987-1989.

Joseph George Jabbra, university administrator and professor, was born in 1938 in Ferzol, Zahle, Lebanon to George Jabbra and Rose (Shehade) Jabbra. He married Nancy Walstrom in August 1974 and had two children: Michael and Mary. Dr. Joseph G. Jabbra earned a law degree at St. Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon in 1965 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Political Science from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC in 1970. From 1971 to 1990 he was a professor, then Vice President Academic Research at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to Los Angeles, California, United States to take up a similar post at Loyola Marymount University. In 2004 he was appointed President of Lebanese American University in Lebanon and New York state. He has co-authored 12 books and more than 30 scholarly articles and is a member of 15 professional societies.