Haifa Souilmi is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Political Science at the University of Oregon, specializing in Comparative Politics and International Relations. Her dissertation, “Unmaking Democracy Democratic: Backsliding in Emerging Democracies, Lessons from Tunisia,” received both the Thesis and Dissertation Award and the Sandra Morgen Public Impact Scholarship from the Division of Graduate Studies.
She is a Fulbright Alumna, Wayne Morse Center Fellow, and APSA MENA Workshop Fellow. Haifa holds a BA in English Language, Literature, and Civilization from the University of Carthage (Tunisia) and an MA in American Civilization from the University of Mannouba, where she completed a thesis on U.S. healthcare reform titled "Obamacare: Change Can We Believe In?" She also earned an MA in Political Science from the University of Oregon and holds graduate certificates in New Media and Culture (UO), Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (SIT, Vermont), and Interfaith Dialogue (Hartford International University for Religion and Peace).
Haifa has taught English, French, and Drama in Tunisia, Poland, and Turkey. As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, she taught Arabic at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. She has translated peace education materials, facilitated drama-for-social-change workshops for NGOs and youth leadership programs, and taught Arabic at SIT Study Abroad in Sidi Bou Said. At the University of Oregon, she has taught a range of political science courses, including U.S. Interventions in Developing Countries, International Relations, Democracy, Dictators, and Development, and Politics of the MENA Region.
Her research interests include democratic backsliding, media and civil society, elite behavior, everyday politics, U.S. foreign policy, religion and politics, and conflict transformation. She is fluent in Arabic, French, and English, with basic knowledge of Turkish. Outside of academia, Haifa enjoys dancing, acting, theater, acro yoga, music, cooking, and travel.
Publications:
Souilmi, H. (2023). A tale of two exceptions: everyday politics of democratic backsliding in Tunisia. The Journal of North African Studies, 28(6), 1425–1443. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2023.2207226
