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Ahmed Ali Salem

Associate Dean - Professor
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Introduction

I graduated from Cairo University with a B.Sc. in political science with distinction, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an M.A. in African Studies and a Ph.D. in political science. I joined Zayed University in 2006 as Assistant Professor, and in 2011 was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. I am also a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Political and International Studies at South Africa’s Rhodes University where I also worked as Visiting Professor between 2018 and 2020, teaching a postgraduate course on International Relations Theories three times.

I served Zayed University in many administrative posts, including my current position as the Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Previously, I served as the college’s Quality Assurance Coordinator; Assistant Director of the Institute for Islamic World Studies; and chair of several university, college and department committees. I also coordinated two international conferences, a nationally-funded research project, a seminar series, a graduate program, and an undergraduate course, and contributed to designing new graduate and undergraduate programs. I received Zayed University’s Creative Employer Award (2018) and the Award of Exemplary Performance Recognition (three times).

Research and Professional Activities

Research interests:

My research agenda includes mainstream, critical and non-Western theories of International Relations; modern history and international relations of Africa and the Middle East; foreign policies of Muslim and Western states towards each other; and modern Islamic reformist political thoughts. During the last couple of decades, I authored, edited and translated tens of books, book chapters, and journal articles in Arabic and English, and presented papers in tens of international fora on these issues.

Current Projects:

  • Transformations of Major Intellectual Schools of International Relations
  • Riding the International Relations Discipline of Western Epistemological Hegemony
  • Emphasizing the Quran in Islamic Thought and Jurisprudence

Keywords:

International Relations Theory; Foreign Policy; Muslim-Western Relations; Africa; Middle East; Political Thought; Islamic Thought

Teaching Areas

Graduate Courses

Critical and Non-Western International Relations Theories

International Relations

Area Studies: The Middle East

Sectarianism in the Muslim World

Economic and Social Development in the Muslim World

Epistemology and Research Methodology

Thesis

 

Undergraduate Courses

Comparative Politics in the Third World

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Introduction to International Relations

International Organizations

History of Modern Middle East

Islamic Civilization I

Islamic Civilization II

Independent Study

Arabic Concepts

Publications 2022-2024

  1. Ahmed Ali Salem, “Challenging Students to Think Critically: Reflections on IR Theory Teaching in the UAE,” in Paul Diehl, Jacqui DeMatos Ala, Jamie Frueh and Michael Murphy (eds.), Palgrave Handbook on IR Theory Pedagogy (London: Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming) (in English)
  2. Ahmed Ali Salem and Mohamed Ashour, “The Arab League and the Evolution of Afro-Arab Region,” in Lynda Chinenye Iroulo and Oheneba Boateng (eds.), Introduction to African Regional Organizations (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2024, forthcoming) (in English)
  3. “Integrity of Quranic Legislations: A Critical Review of the Debate on Abrogation,” Comparative Islamic Studies, 14-2, 2023, Online. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.23749 (in English)
  4. “Academic Historiographic Remedies of Colonialist Images of Egypt’s Nationalist Party,” Contemporary Arab Affairs, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2023, pp284–296. (in English)
  5. “The West and Africa: The Evolution of European Union and United States Policies Towards Africa,” Issues and Insights, Vol. 7, No. 27, October 2022, pp.144-155. (in Arabic)
  6. “Non-Western Contributions to Rid the International Relations Discipline from Western Epistemological Hegemony: Reform or Revolution?” Tajseer [Doha], Vol. 4, Issue 1, 2022, pp.10-30. https://doi.org/10.29117/tis.2022.0082 (in Arabic)
  7. “Resisting Islamophobia: Efforts of International Organizations and Civil Institutions Outside the Arab and Muslim Worlds (2010-2020),” in Ahmad Wahban (ed.), The Proceedings of the 5th Scientific Conference of Faculty of Economic Studies and Political Science (Alexandria: Faculty of Economic Studies and Political Science at Alexandria University, 2022) pp.32-72. (in Arabic)
  8. “Islam and the West in Ali Mazrui’s African and Global Studies,” in Mohamed Ashour (ed.), Africa, Arabs and Colonialism: Studies in Ali Mazrui’s Scholarship (Beirut: Center for Arab Unity Studies, 2022) pp.171-196 ISBN 9789953829739 https://caus.org.lb/product/africa-arabs-and-colonization-studies-in-ali-mazruis-work/ (in Arabic)