Richmond Home
Dr. Dana  El Kurd
Dr. Dana El Kurd
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Profile

Dana El Kurd holds a Ph.D. in government with concentrations in comparative politics and international relations, and has focused her work on authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, state-society relations in these countries, and the impact of international intervention.

She has published in peer-reviewed journals such as PS Political Science & Politics, Journal of Global Security Studies, Middle East Law and Governance, Siyasat Arabiya (an Arabic peer-reviewed journal), Contemporary Arab Affairs, Parameters, and more. Her book titled Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine was published in 2020 with Oxford University Press.

Publications
Articles

peer reviewed

Dana El Kurd. (2022). "Mixed Methods Research" in Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations edited by R Huddleston, Thomas Jamieson, and Patrick James (Edward Elgar Publishing). 

Dana El Kurd. (2022) "Gateway to dissent: the role of pro-Palestine activism in opposition to authoritarianism," Democratization, DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2022.2038567.

Omar Ashour and Dana El Kurd. (2021). "The 'Arab Spring' and the Challenges of Security Sector Reform," in Decentering Democratic Transition: The Transition Paradigm after the Arab Earthquake, ed. Abdelwahab El-Affendi and Khalil Al Anani. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 

non-peer reviewed 

Dana El Kurd. (2022, April). "Key Messages from the Oppressed." Arab Center Washington. https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/key-messages-from-the-oppressed/

Dana El Kurd. (2022, February). “Pro-Palestine solidarity in the UAE: A view from Emirati activists.” Middle East Institutehttps://www.mei.edu/publications/pro-palestine-solidarity-uae-view-emirati-activists

Dana El Kurd. (2022, January). "For the sake of Palestine, we need to talk about the infighting eating away at pro-Palestine activism.” The New Arabhttps://english.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/we-need-talk-about-infighting-pro-palestine-activism

Dana El Kurd. (2022, Spring). “The Unity Intifada; Assessments & Predictions.” Arab Studies Journal.  

Dana El Kurd. (2021, October). “The Strengthening of Palestinian Civil Society Part I & II,” Newlines Institute. https://newlinesinstitute.org/palestine/the-strengthening-of-palestinian-civil-society-activism/https://newlinesinstitute.org/civil-society/the-strengthening-of-palestinian-civil-society-activism-part-ii/

Reviews

Dana El Kurd. (2022). “Palestine Is Throwing a Party and the Whole World Is Invited: Capital and State Building in the West Bank. Kareem Rabie.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 54, no. 1: 208–9. doi:10.1017/S0020743821001306. 

Dana El Kurd. (2021, July). “Do Palestinians really want a South African solution? Review of Neither Settler nor Native by Mahmood Mamdani.” +972 Mag. https://www.972mag.com/mamdani-settler-native-book-review/

Dana El Kurd. (2021, June). “Book Review of Promoting Democracy by Manal Jamal.” Perspectives on Politics, 19, no. 2: 661–62. doi:10.1017/S1537592721000244.

Education
Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin 2017
M.A., The University of Texas at Austin 2014
B.A., University of Houston 2012
Contact Information
202J Weinstein Hall
(804)-289-6458
Areas of Expertise
Politics of the Middle East
Palestine
Repression
Authoritarianism
Protest
International Intervention