Dr. Pauline Jones

Biography

Pauline Jones is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and the Edie N. Goldenberg Endowed Director of the Michigan Washington Program. She also serves as the Director of the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum (DISC). Jones has previously held the position of Director of UM’s Islamic Studies Program from 2011 to 2014 and has been involved with the International Institute from 2014 to 2020. Her primary expertise lies in Muslim majority countries (MMCs) in Central Asia, with a research focus on the relationship between religion and state regulation, the political attitudes of citizens, and the impacts of government efforts to regulate Islam. She has published extensively in leading academic and policy journals, including the American Political Science Review and Foreign Affairs, and has authored five books on topics related to political continuity and transformation in post-Soviet Central Asia, the role of oil in political institutions, and the interplay of Islam, society, and politics in the region.

Research Interests