Silvana Toska
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Education
- Ph.D., M.A. Cornell University
- M.A. The University of Oxford
- M.A. Georgetown University
- B.A. The University of Pennsylvania
Areas of Expertise
- International Security
- Middle East Politics
- Political Psychology
- Social Movements
Background
My research and teaching interests are at the intersection of political psychology, Middle East Politics, and International Relations. I am the author of Revolutionary Emotions: The Roots of Revolutionary Waves, now out with Oxford University Press. This book is a work of political psychology that looks at the role of emotions in revolutionary diffusion, including the Arab Uprising. It builds on five years of field research in Egypt, Yemen, and with Syrian activists in Lebanon. I have also written several book chapters and newspaper and magazine articles on the Arab Uprisings.
I am currently working on two other books, the first of which builds on the emotional theory of the book above but examines how intelligence agencies – particularly the United States and Israel – have interpreted surprise events, such as wars of 1956 and 1973, as well as the Iranian revolution, 9/11, and October 7. The second book looks at how the current Saudi Arabian government formulates its foreign policy and responds to regional crises.
Teaching
- Politics of the Middle East
- International Relations
- International Security
- Causes of War
- Revolutions
- Political Islam
- US Foreign Policy in the Middle East
- Political Science Research Methods
