Research Interests

I have been observing and researching the evolvement of Salafi-Jihadist groups and the changes in the discourses of leading jihadist referential figures since the beginning of the Arab Spring. Although I focused on the case of al-Nusra Front in my PhD, I stayed abreast of the internal dynamics of the conflict in Syria and the surrounding regional and international politics. Utilising the framework of Social Movement Theory in the research was particularly useful as it enabled me to take account of some of the often neglected factors such as the intra-jihadism vying for authority and influence and the impact of the rise of Sunni-Arabism as a newly consolidated political identity in the Middle East.

My approach to radical Islamism belongs to a growing trend within political science that is critical of the dominance of positivistic approaches in the field. Specifically, it challenges assumptions of possible predictability of political behaviours based on theories of rationality or simple causal relations. As such, I aspire to bring to light the importance and complexity of processes of signification and sense-making in contentious politics. The basic hypothesis that permeates most of my studies is that processes of ideational framing do not happen in a random fashion; they are usually strategic and channelled towards achieving specific goals and serving the interests of certain actors. In short, the agency of actors, their cultural backgrounds, and their ideological commitments as well, all play decisive roles in shaping the methods and outcomes of collective actions.

My well-rounded grasp of the dynamics and transformations of Jihadist activism, coupled with my solid understanding of various qualitative and quantitative research methods, enable me to conduct top quality research whether independently or in collaboration with other researchers and analysts.