Geoff Harkness, assistant professor of sociology, authored a chapter in the book “Intercultural Communication with Arabs: Studies in Educational, Professional and Societal Contexts” that was recently published by Springer.

Geoff Harkness, assistant professor of sociology at Morningside College, authored a chapter in the book “Intercultural Communication with Arabs: Studies in Educational, Professional and Societal Contexts” that was recently published by Springer.

The chapter, “In the Zone: Female Athletes and Intercultural Contact in Iraq,” is based on ethnographic fieldwork Harkness conducted in Iraq in 2012. It examines the role of sports in both exacerbating and alleviating ethnic tensions among Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens playing together on a college basketball team in Iraq.

Harkness came to Morningside College this fall after serving as a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. The University of Minnesota Press recently published his first book, “Chicago Hustle and Flow: Gangs, Gangsta Rap, and Social Class.” Harkness has a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.