Ashraf El Sherif
Curriculum Vitae
April 2013
ADDRESS AND CONTACTS
3/68 Abdallah ibn El-Taher St., App# 12,
al-Nady al-Ahly Street, Al-haii Al-thamen ,
Madinet Nasr , Cairo, Egypt
(20)180609264
aelsherif@aucegypt.edu
EDUCATION AND FELLOWSHIPS
PH.D. IN POLTICAL SCIENCE, BOSTON UNIVERSITY Awarded, January 2011
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Dissertation Committee: Augustus Richard Norton(Chair), Denis Sullivan, Robert
Hefner, Sofia Perez and Irene L. Gendzier
Dissertation successfully defended (November 15th, 2010)
Awarded the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s fellowship(Fall 2008 and
Spring 2010)
Awarded the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Research Abroad
fellowship(2006)
Completed Qualifying exams in Comparative Politics, Middle East Politics and
International Relations (October 2005)
Awarded the Political Science Department Teaching Fellowship( 2003-2007)
M.A. IN POLITICAL SCIENCE, THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, June 2003
 Awarded University fellowship 2000-2001
 Awarded the Honeyman Studentship from the Arab Studies Department at Saint
Andrews University, UK, 2003
B.A. IN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE WITH HONORS, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, June 2000
PUBLISHED WORK
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "Contemporary Salafism and Egyptian politics." International Crisis
Group report (in press)
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Islamist democrats in Egypt.” (in press).
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Ashraf El-Sherif. “Institutional and ideological re-construction of the Justice and
Development Party (PJD): the question of Democratic Islamism in Morocco”.
Middle East Journal, Autumn 2012
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Ashraf El-Sherif. “Islamism after the Arab Spring.” Current History, December 2011.
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Augustus Richard Norton and Ashraf El-Sherif. “North Africa’s Epochal Year of
Freedom.” Current History, May 2011.
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Shahrur, Muhammad. “Islamic Fundamentalism: Where is it going”. Trans. Ashraf
El Sherif. Current History, January 2005
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El Sherif, Ashraf. “Kurds: strife of an ethnic minority in Muslim state” Ed. Ummati fi
al ‘alim (My nation in the World) 3rd Annual Report. Cairo: the International Institute
of Islamic Thought, 2002.
MANUSCRIPTS IN PROGRESS
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A monograph of the discursive and political behavior of theMuslim Brotherhood
and Salafists in Egypt after the January 2011 Uprising(in press)
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A study of the State-Islamists relations in Morocco and how it shaped the
institutional, discursive and political development of Moroccan Islamist actors(to be
published)
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A study of the ideological and political transformations of Islamic movements in
Egypt in the aftermath of January 25th revolution(to be published)
ONLINE ARTICLES AND OPINION PIECES
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “What did the Muslim Brotherhood lose? ” SADA, Carnegie (in
press)
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “The Muslim Brotherhood’s sense of itself: The making of a new
centrist force in revolutionary Egypt”. Jadaliyya.com (in press)
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "Brotherly No More." SADA, Carnegie, January 18th, 2013.
http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/01/18/brotherly-no-more/f304
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The Taifas State." Egypt independent, December 12th, 2012
http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/taifas-state
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "On the 'Taifas state' in Egypt." Jadaliyya, December 5th, 2012
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/8805/%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%81%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The Salafi Movement: The Competing Visions." Egypt independent,
November 1st, 2012 http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/salafi-movementcompeting-visions-part-1
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "On The crisis of al-Nour party and the transformations of the
Salafist movement in Egypt." Jadaliyya, October 12th, 2012
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/7645/%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A3%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1
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El-Sherif, Ashraf."What after the Presidential elections?" Akhbar al-Adab. June 9th,
2012
http://dar.akhbarelyom.org.eg/issuse/detailze.asp?mag=a&said=&field=news&id=
4626
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The need for self-criticism after the first round." Egypt Independent,
June 5th, 2012 http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/need-self-criticismafter-first-round
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "Egypt's transitional period will never end." Egypt Independent, May
1st, 2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/egypts-transitional-periodwill-never-end
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El- Sherif, Ashraf. "Transformations of the Egyptian Salafists: Politics defeats
ideology.". Jadaliyya, April 30th, 2012.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5290/%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%D9
%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86_%
D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%81%D9%83%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%84%
D9%88%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A7
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. "On Illusions of Power- transfer and the zero-sum politics in
Egypt". Al-Shorouk newspaper.
http://www.shorouknews.com/columns/view.aspx?cdate=06052012&id=d79fea770741-44f3-842c-d28ee9c97cd1
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. " Picking a Fight: Khairat al-Shater v. SCAF". SADA, Carnegie,
April 13th, 2012. http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/13/picking-fight-khairatal-shater-v.-scaf/a87q
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El-Sherif, Ashraf.."What after the nomination of Omar Suleiman? The last steps
before downfall". Jadaliyya.com, April 13th, 2012.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/5028/%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8
%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%9F%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%82
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El-Sherif, Ashraf."Shater: Between a deep state and a fractured Brotherhood". Egypt
independent. April 5th, 2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/753221
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “The Secret group ruling Egypt: The deep state and its collapse”.
Egypt independent. March 5th, 2012.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/617826
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Egypt’s emboldened Islamist reformists”. SADA, Carnegie
January 12th, 2012. http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2012/01/12/egypt-s-newislamists-emboldening-reform-from-within/8z6r
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El-Sherif, Ashraf.. “The Ultras politics of fun confront tyranny.” Jadaliyya.com.
February 05th , 2012. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4243/the-ultraspolitics-of-fun-confront-tyranny
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “'Al-Hassan and al-Hussein' TV drama: An orthodox narrative in a
progressive form.” al-Masry al-Youm English. September 6th, 2011.
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/492768
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El-Sherif, Ashraf.. “Re-inventing the Islamist politics: Towards the third
establishment of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.” Onislam.com .
http://www.onislam.net/arabic/madarik/politics/134070-muslim-brotherhood.html
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya: Battle Within.” al-Masry al-Youm English.
August 29th, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/490799
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “What do the Salafis really want?” al-Masry al-Youm Enligsh. March
29th, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/379522
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “The Muslim Brotherhood on the edge of Reform.” al-Masry alYoum English. April 4th, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/385618
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El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Re-inventing the Muslim Brotherhood.” al-Masry al-Youm English.
February 21st, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/325755
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
VISITING PROFESSOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2013
 Teaching two graduate courses on Egyptian politics and Political Islam
 Teaching an undergraduate course on Egyptian state and politics
LECTURER AT THE AMERICA-MIDEAST EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING
SERVICES, spring 2013
 Teaching an undergraduate course on the International relations of the Middle East
ADJUNCT LECTURER IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AEMRICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2012
 Teaching two undergraduate courses on comparative politics of the Middle east and
special topics in political science(political Islam after the Arab Spring)
LECTURER AT THE AMERICA-MIDEAST EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING
SERVICES, fall 2012
 Teaching an undergraduate course on the Arab Spring
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2012
 Teaching an undergraduate course on comparative politics of the Middle East and an
introductory undergraduate course to international relations
LECTURER AT THE AMERICA-MIDEAST EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING
SERVICES, spring 2012
 Teaching an undergraduate course on the Arab Spring
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE CENTER FOR ARABIC LANGUAGE ABROAD AT
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2012
 Teaching a course on Middle east politics
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2011
 Teaching an undergraduate course on comparative politics of the Middle East and an
introductory course to political science
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2011
 Teaching two graduate courses on Contemporary Issues in Political Islam and ArabAmerican relations
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2010
 Teaching a course on Political and Social Thought in the Middle East
LECTURER AT THE AMERICA-MIDEAST EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING
SERVICES, fall 2010
 Teaching a course on Comparative Politics in the Middle East
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE CENTER FOR ARABIC LANGUAGE ABROAD AT
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2010
 Taught a course on Arab Political thought
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2009
 Taught an undergraduate class on classical political theory
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2009
 Taught a graduate seminar on Arab-American Relations
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE CENTER FOR ARABIC LANGUAGE ABROAD AT
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2009
 Taught a course on Arab Political thought
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, THE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2008
 Taught two courses on Political and Social Thought in the Middle East and the
dynamics of Political Islam and Middle eastern politics
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE CENTER FOR ARABIC LANGUAGE ABROAD AT
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, spring 2008
 Taught two courses on Arab political thought and the Political Economy of
The Middle East
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, fall 2007
 Taught a graduate seminar on Arab-American Relations
INSTRUCTOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Summer
2006, Summer 2007
 Taught international politics at the Summer Challenge Program
LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, BOSTON
UNIVERSITY, summer 2007
 Taught Introduction to Political Science
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.82 on a 1 to 5 scale
TEACHING FELLOW, INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE, Spring 2007
 Led weekly discussion sections for Prof. Stephen Bird
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.68 on a 1 to 5 scale
TEACHING FELLOW, INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLTICS, fall 2004,
fall 2005, fall 2006
 Led weekly discussion sections for Prof. Sofia Perez
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.92 on a 1 to 5 scale
TEACHING FELLOW, INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,
Fall 2003, spring 2005, Spring 2006
 Led weekly discussion sections for Prof. Mike Corgan
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.90 on a 1 to 5 scale
ADJUNCT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE
OF THE HOLY CROSS, Spring 2006
 Taught a course on Political Islam and the Middle East
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.90 on a 1 to 5 scale
ADJUNT LECTURER AT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE
OF THE HOLY CROSS, Fall 2005
 Taught a course on Middle East Politics
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.85on a 1 to 5 scale
TEACHING FELLOW, INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY, Spring 2004
 Led weekly discussion sections for Prof. James Schmidt
 Overall Rating from Students: 4.48 on a 1 to 5 scale
DISSERTATION PROJECT
Democratization of the Islamic Movements in Egypt and Morocco: opportunity structures,
organizational frameworks and Islamist ideological marketplace
The current decade has seen the rise of Islamist political movements winning electoral
victories in Egypt, Morocco, and other countries in the Middle East. A key shift has
occurred in the position of the Islamist movements on the question of pluralist democracy.
Yet there are significant differences from one case to another. The moderate Islamic
movement in Morocco (The Justice and Development Party, PJD) has embarked on more
far-reaching pro-democratic transformations of their ideological and institutional
orientations than the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (MB). The Egyptian case was less
successful on democratization because the entry of the Islamists into an inclusive pluralist
system was thwarted by the state, and the democratization of its organization and discourse
lags behind its counterpart in Morocco. The analysis reveals that Islamist democratization is
shaped by three main variables: transformations in the broader public sphere and Islamic
ideological marketplace, regime policies towards the Islamic movements and the
organizational structures of those movements. In Morocco, the more inclusive, open and
monarchy-centered political system, and the pluralist yet ordered religious public sphere and
the institutionally differentiated pattern of Islamic activism encouraged the democratization
of its key Islamic political movement: The PJD. The MB’s limited capacity for change, its
conflicted ethos and organizational tensions, as well as the resultant ideological lethargy are
key variables factored in analysis. In addition, the de-liberalization of the Egyptian regime,
increasing conservatism of its decentralized religious public sphere and the organizational
fusion of the proselytizing and the political, discouraged democratic momentum within the
MB. In summary, stalled democratization of the MB compared to the PJD should not be
approached in mono-causal terms of ideology. Instead, it is an outcome of a multi-causal
process of continuity and change that involved factors of agency and structure cutting across
state policies, Islamist organization and the religious marketplace.
PRESENTATIONS
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Presented a paper on Islam and democracy for the ‘Islam and democracy’ conference
organized by the Prague Security Studies Institute at the Czech Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (Prague, January 2012)
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Presented a paper on the changing concepts of Islamic Shari’a in the Islamist parties
discourses in Egypt after the January 25th uprising for the Egyptian-Turkish dialogue
on democracy and contemporary political transformation s organized by Cairo center
for Human rights studies and the Middle East studies center at the American
University in Cairo (Cairo, October 2011)
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Presented a paper on the development of the Salafist Islamic movement in Egypt in
the aftermath of the January 25th uprising for the roundtable discussion organized by
the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, UCSB (Cairo, September
2011)
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Presented a paper on the democratic development of different Islamist movements
in Egypt in the aftermath of the January 25th uprising for the roundtable discussion
organized by Cairo center for Human rights Studies, (Cairo, July 2011)
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Presented a paper on the role of Islamic movements in the process of democratic
transition in the Middle East for the annual meeting of the Middle East
Studies Association (Montreal, November 2007).
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Presented a paper on the stalled democratization in the Middle East from an
institutionalist perspective for the annual meeting of the American Political Science
Association (Chicago, September 2007).
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Presented a paper on the democratic transformations of the Islamic
Movements in the Middle East for the annual meeting of the Midwest Political
Science Association (Chicago, April 2007).
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Presented a paper on the formation of the modern public sphere in Egypt,
Iran and Turkey for the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science association
annual (Chicago, April 2005).
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Participated in a workshop on identity issues and fundamentalism in the
WISC First Global International Studies Conference,Bilgi University
(Istanbul, August 2004).
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Participated as a research assistant in the “Islamic Methodology in Social Sciences:
Political Science as a Model” conference organized by the Civilization Center for
Political Studies(Cairo, July 2000).
SKILLS
Computer skills: Microsoft office applications
 Inter-personal skills:
Presentation, training and tutoring skills;
Translation skills;
Communication skills;
Negotiation skills
LANGUAGES
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Fluent in spoken and written English
Arabic native speaker
PERSONAL DATA
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Nationality: Egyptian
Marital status: Single
Date of Birth: 08/31/1977
Place of Birth: Musqat, Oman
REFERENCES
 Prof. Augustus Richard Norton, Boston University
Department of International Relations
152 Bay State Road, room 440
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
(617) 353-7808
arn@bu.edu
 Prof. Sofia Perez, Boston University
Department of Political Science
232 Bay State Road,
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
(617) 353-3876
sperez@bu.edu
 Prof. Mike Corgan, Boston University
Department of International Relations
156 Bay State Road, room 20
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
(617) 353-3553
mcorgan@bu.edu
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Prof. Robet Hefner, Boston University
Anthropology Department and director of the Institue on Culture, Religion and
World Affairs
232 Bay State Road, room 410
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
(617) 353-2194
rhefner@bu.edu
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Prof. Walid Kazziha, The American University in Cairo
Political Science Department
AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74
New Cairo 11835
Egypt
(202) 2615 1000
wkazziha@aucegypt.edu
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Prof. Emad al-Din Shahin, University of Notre Dame
Luce Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace building
100 Hesburgh Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-4685
Emad.E.Shahin.2@nd.edu