International Relations

Personal Biography Hisham H. Ahmed, Ph.D. is currently a Professor of Politics at Saint Mary’s College of California. Born in the Deheisheh Refugee camp near Bethlehem, Palestine, in 1963, Ahmed obtained his BA degree in political science from Illinois State University in 1985. He obtained his MA and Ph.D. degrees also in political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1986 and 1988, respectively. He taught political science at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, 1989-91, and at the University of North Dakota, 1991-93. In 1993-94, he was a Fulbright scholar in Palestine, where he wrote his book: From Religious Salvation to political transformation: the rise of Hamas in Palestinian Society. Between 1994-2006 he taught political science at Bir Zeit University as well as at other different universities and colleges. In addition, Ahmed is the author of other studies dealing with the Middle East, Islamic movements, and American foreign-policy, such as: “Palestinian Resistance and ‘Suicide Bombing’: Causes and Consequences,” “The Evolution of Hamas in Palestinian Society: Domestic, Regional and International Determinants,” and Ibrahim Abu-Lughod: Resistance, Exile and Return. In addition, Ahmed has been active in different professional organizations, as he, in the early 1990’s, was elected as the Vice-President of the AAUG, Arab-American University Graduates. Finally, Ahmed is frequently called upon by the local and international media for analyses of various political issues pertaining to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I'm an administrator for the Townsend Humanities Lab. I'm also a PhD candidate in Political Science.