Seminar 34. Hussein Solomon: “Islam and Democratization”

On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Department of International Relations and the International Laboratory on World Order Studies and the New Regionalism held the 34rd session of the Eurasian Online Seminar.

Our guest was a leading South African expert in international relations theory, religious fundamentalism and population movements within the developing world Hussein Solomon.  The topic of his talk was “Islam and Democratization.”

Dr. Hussein Solomon holds a D.Litt et Phil (Political Science) from the University of South Africa. Currently, he is Senior Professor and Academic Head of Department at the Department of Political Studies and Governance, University of Free State. His previous appointments include being Executive Director of the International Institute of Islamic Studies (2009-2010); Professor and Director of the Centre for International Political Studies, University of Pretoria (2000-2010), Research Manager at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (1998-2000), Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (1996-1998) and Research Fellow at the Centre for Southern African Studies, University of the Western Cape (1993-1995).

His research interests include conflict and conflict resolution in Africa; South African Foreign Policy; international relations theory; religious fundamentalism and population movements within the developing world. His publications have appeared in South Africa; Nigeria; the United States; the United Kingdom; Switzerland; The Russian Federation; Greece; The Netherlands; Norway; Denmark; Egypt; Ethiopia; Israel, Lebanon; India; Bangladesh; Spain and Japan.

His most recent books include Directions in International Terrorism: Theories, Trends and Trajectories (Palgrave, 2021), Terrorism in Africa: New Trends and Frontiers (with Glen Segell and Sergey Kostelyanets), Institute for African Studies, Moscow, 2021), Arab MENA Countries: Vulnerabilities and Constraints Against Democracy on the Eve of the Global COVID-19 Crisis (with Arno Tausci, Springer, 2021), Exporting Global Jihad (with Tom Smith, IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, 2020), Islamism, Crisis and Democratization: Implications of the World Values Survey for the Muslim World (with Arno Tausch, Springer, 2020), African Security in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Opportunities (with Stephen Emerson, Manchester University Press, 2018).

He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAF), South African Academy of Science and Art.