Dr. Cilja Harders

Biography

Cilja Harders is a Professor and Head of the Research Unit on Politics in the Maghreb, Mashreq, and Gulf at the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin. She has built a distinguished academic career since 2007, focusing on the dynamics of state transformation, democratization, and authoritarianism, as well as political participation in the context of poverty and regional security issues in the Middle East post-9/11. Prior to joining Freie Universität Berlin, she served as a Junior Professor of Gender Studies with a focus on Political Science at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Her early career included roles as a research assistant at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and as a staff member in a DFG project on democratization and participation at the University of Hamburg. Harders' academic background includes a Magister Artium in Political Science and related fields from the universities of Freiburg and Hamburg. She is actively engaged in several academic organizations including the American Political Science Association and the Middle East Studies Association, reflecting her commitment to advancing the disciplines of political science and gender studies. Her work encompasses a wide range of topics, including Euro-Arab relations, political gender studies particularly around the issues of gender and violence, and women's participation in peace and conflict research.

Research Interests

Experience