Professional Affiliation

Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati

Expert Bio

Alex Thurston is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati. He previously taught at Georgetown University and Miami University. He specializes in the study of Islam and politics in West Africa and North Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Northwestern University and an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown. In 2013-2014, he was an International Affairs Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.

Wilson Center Project

Jihadism in Northwest Africa: Doctrines, Debates, and Politics

Project Summary

Prevailing explanations for the rise of jihadism tend to caricature jihadists as nihilistic opportunists, uncompromising fanatics, or outright psychopaths. This book project proposes a different understanding, showing that jihadists devote substantial attention to both religious argumentation and local politics. The project addresses the recent history, doctrinal content, and local political contexts of jihadism in Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, and Libya. Drawing on a wealth of untapped primary sources in Arabic, the project examines Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its many offshoots, as well as North African affiliates of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). The book’s findings will have implications for the study of religion and violence around the world.

Major Publications

• Publication OneSalafism in Nigeria: Islam, Preaching and Politics
• Publication TwoBoko Haram: The History of an African Jihadist Movement
• Publication ThreeCoded Language Among Muslim Activists: Salafis and the Prophet's Sermon of Necessity