Topic of thesis:
My thesis deals with the role of Islamists Parties within the transitions from authoritarian rule. Do these political entities promote or prevent a democratic transition? Such is my research question and deep concern.
If I had been a PhD Student some decades ago, it wouldn’t have ever been a research question: that religion was structurally incompatible with democracy was simply held as a given truth, and that religious parties are hinders of democratization was the straightforward corollary. Yet, such a position has started to be challenged by both empirical and theoretical studies (professors Stephan and Hashemi, I will never thank you enough!).
In the wake of this new literature, my thesis aims to contribute to this debate through the cases study of Tunisia and Egypt in the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings. In doing so, I am working at the crossroads of Political Theory and Comparative Politics. On the one hand, I am entering into the “theological-political question” to assess whether and why religious ought to be included into the public sphere or not. On the other hand, I want to investigate what religious beliefs do ultimately convey into the public sphere and how. To do this, I will recur to the empirical observations from Tunisia and Egypt. Both countries are experiencing a transition from an authoritarian rule, yet the two outcomes in terms of democratization profoundly diverge. Explaining this difference by looking at the political elites’ behavior will shed light on the role of religious beliefs within the construction of “focal points” allowing a country to exit the uncertainty of the transition, and hopefully taking the path of democratization. 
Given that religious traditions are not born with an inherent democratic and secular conception of politics, and that Islam is a fundamental marker of identity long repressed by the former authoritarian regimes both in Tunisia and Egypt, the hypothesis I am going to test is that democratization (which is here contextual to a process of nation-building) is favored whenever Islamists parties can peacefully and fairly find room in politics, contributing to the establishment of “rules of the game”. This will allow the social construction of a democratic and secular conception of politics from within the religious tradition, while providing further legitimation to the new polity.
Research interests: Political Transitions, Democratization Studies, Public Reason, Political Islam, Islamism.
Graduated from: LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome
Degree: Master of International Relations
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