Dr. Michal Zelcer-Lavid

researcher of modern China and Asia and a faculty member in the Department of Asian Studies at Bar-Ilan University

Dr. Michal Zelcer-Lavid is a researcher of modern China and Asia and a faculty member in the Department of Asian Studies at Bar-Ilan University. Her research focuses on ethnicity, nationalism, religion, and political culture in Western China, with particular attention to Uyghurs and Tibetans, as well as to the interfaces between East Asia, Central Asia, Israel, and the Middle East. Her work combines history, politics, literature, popular culture, discourse analysis, and intercultural inquiry, asking how ethnic and national identities are constructed, represented, and transformed under changing political, social, and cultural conditions.

Alongside her research, Dr. Zelcer-Lavid has played a central role in developing Asian Studies at Bar-Ilan University, first as head of the Asian Studies program and later as head of the department. She was closely involved in the process that led to the recognition of Asian Studies as an independent academic department and to the strengthening of its research, teaching, and institutional infrastructure. Her teaching and public engagement aim to make contemporary Asia accessible to students and broader audiences, while connecting academic research, current affairs, and public discussion. Dr. Zelcer-Lavid is a member of the Forum Dvorah-Women in Foreign Policy and National Security.