Theory of literature and literary criticism in classical Arabic literature; Rhetorics and poetry in Arabic literature, Literature of opposition parties in Islam, Shi'ite literature and maqtals of Husayn.

I see myself as one of the first founders of the Department of Arabic language and literature at the University of Haifa. I got my first degree from the Hebrew University in Arabic language and literature and English language and literature. My second degree was in Arabic language and literature and Muslim civilization. I got my third degree from UCLA in medieval Arabic literary criticism. The dissertation was The Kitāb aṣ-Ṣinā‘atayn of Abū Hilāl al-‘Askarī : A Critical Study.
The updated dissertation was then published as a book by E. J. Brill in 1989 under the title Studies in the Kitāb as-Sinā‘atayn of Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī.
My research covered several fields: classical and medieval Arabic poetry, Arabic-Muslim culture, Shiʿite literature in the Middle Ages, Palestinian literature in and outside Israel, the identity of Palestinians during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During my active years I taught several courses: A Survey of the Classical and Medieval Arabic Literature, Classical Arabic Poetry, Literature of the Islamic Sects, Arabic Manuscripts, etc.

I wrote several papers on Arabic poetry and Arabic culture in the Middle Ages. I also published many papers on the literature of the Shīʿa in the Middle Ages. It was important to show how unauthentic material was brought in to glorify certain personalities.

Here are some of my publications:
1. George J. Kanazi. “Notes on the Literary Output of Hussein ibn ‘Ali.” Zeitschrift der Morgenländischen Gesellschaft. Band 155 (2005): 341-364.
2. George J. Kanazi. “The poetry of Hussein ibn ‘Ali revisited.” Zeitschrift der Morgenländischen Gesellschaft. Band 161, 2011: 69-90.
3. George J. Kanazi. “Children’s Games; Toward a Lexicon for Boys’ and Girls’ Games in Medieval Arabic Heritage.” Al-Karmil. Vol. 39 (2018): 97-154. (in Arabic).
4. George J. Kanazi. “‘Abdullah ibn al-Muʿtazz and the Names of Wine in Arabic Heritage: Wine.” In In the Oasis of Pens, Studies in Arabic Literature and Culture, In Honor of Professor Joseph Sadan. Cologne-Baghdad: Dār al-Jamal, 2011: 79-110. (in Arabic).
5. George J. Kanazi. “Andalusia in Modern Arabic Literature.” In Im Dialog bleiben, Sprache und Denken in den Kulturen des Vorderen Orients; Festschrift für Raif Georges Khoury. Ed. by F. Musall and A. Al-Mudarris. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2011: 29-45.