Visiting scholar Samer Shehata will be joining the Institute for Middle East Studies for the 2024-2025
Academic Year. Dr. Shehata is the Colin and Patricia Molina de Mackey Associate Professor of Middle
East studies in the Department of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He is the
author of Shop Floor Culture and Politics in Egypt (2009) and editor of Islamist Politics in the Middle East (2012) and The Struggle to Reshape the Middle East in the 21st Century (2023), in addition to numerous academic and policy articles. His op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Al Jazeera, Salon, Slate, Al Hayat, and elsewhere. He has taught at the American University in Cairo,
Georgetown University and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and served as Visiting Scholar at UC
Berkeley and the United States Institute of Peace/USIP. He completed his BA in Political Science and
Middle East Studies at UC Berkeley, an MPhil in Social and Political Theory at the University of
Cambridge, and a PhD in Politics at Princeton University.

Dr. Shehata is currently working on several projects. In collaboration with a co-author, he is completing an
article that critically examines the role Arab First Ladies play in the legitimation of their regimes vis-a-vis
Western publics and governments. They argue that some Arab First Ladies have attempted to position themselves as “modern,” “Western-oriented” and “progressive” through their high-profile social, economic,
and cultural activities focused on women and children. Focusing specifically on Jordan’s Queen Rania, Syria’s Asma Al Assad, and Egypt’s Suzanne Mubarak, they argue that these activities and their
gendered character function to “soften” the image of otherwise highly repressive and corrupt regimes, distracting from their authoritarian character.

While at GW, Dr. Shehata aims to focus on his current book project which examines the networks, linkages, and connections that exist between states and across borders in the region. Expanding on his
earlier book The Struggle to Reshape the Middle East in the 21st Century (2023), this project analyzes the consequences of these linkages and connections on domestic politics and regime stability. He is particularly interested in exchanging perspectives with faculty and students who work on Middle East politics and international relations and other related topics. He also welcomes the opportunity to interact with the wider Washington DC think tank and policy community and benefit from their expertise and experience.