Dr Rory McCarthy is an Associate Professor in Politics and Islam at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham, where he works on the comparative politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
Tell us about your role within your department:
I am an associate professor at Durham’s School of Government and International Affairs where I teach, research, and write on the politics of the Middle East. I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students, and I supervise doctoral students.
What first attracted you to your chosen field of expertise?
Before I came to academia, I spent more than a decade living and working in the Muslim-majority world. I was a foreign correspondent with The Guardian newspaper, with postings in Islamabad, Baghdad, Beirut, and Jerusalem. These experiences pushed me to find a deeper understanding of how politics works in this complex and often misunderstood part of the world.
What is your favourite subject to teach and why?
I teach a final-year undergraduate module on religion and politics in the Muslim world. My students and I discuss how to make sense of the changing and nuanced role of religion in public life. I bring my own research and fieldwork into our class discussions, and I’m constantly inspired by the insights my students bring to these complex questions.
What can students expect from their first few weeks on your course?
Students can expect to address the biases we all absorb from our media and to think carefully about how politics works in different parts of the world. Regions like the Middle East might seem unfamiliar, but they are deeply connected to all our lives. Students will develop highly transferable skills as they encounter new ideas, analyse complex problems, and develop persuasive arguments.
What do you think makes your department unique?
Students at SGIA have the chance to learn from academic staff who work on the widest range of topics, studying countries across the world and gaining a rich variety of research skills. SGIA has an especially important tradition as a centre for research into the politics, economics, religion, and society of the Middle East.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of studying your course?
Even if the topic sounds unfamiliar, take this chance to learn in depth about politics and conflict in a vital region of our world. Study ideas, social movements, political parties, and armed groups, and gain the knowledge you need to make sense of the world around us.
What have your students gone on to do after graduating from Durham?
My students have followed many different career paths. Some work in the UK civil service, others work in politics, journalism, the armed forces, risk analysis, civil society organisations, and international development.
