Nijmeh Ali is a distinguished scholar and practitioner in the field of Political Science, with a specialized focus on Peace and Conflict Studies. Her academic journey, culminating in a Ph.D. from the University of Otago, New Zealand, has been marked by a deep commitment to understanding and analyzing resistance and activism among marginalized communities, particularly within the Palestinian context. Ali's research challenges conventional liberal frameworks by offering critical insights into the dynamics of resistance and revolution in non-Western societies and exploring the strategies of resistance employed by oppressed groups.
With a career spanning multiple continents and institutions, Ali has held prestigious positions as a visiting lecturer at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany and as a consultant and researcher affiliated with the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago. Her expertise has been sought by numerous international organizations, where she has provided consultancy on issues ranging from reframing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and decolonial peace to surveillance and resistance in conflict zones.
Ali is also a prolific contributor to academic discourse, serving as a guest editor for the Historical Materialism Special Issue on Palestine/Israel and the Critique of Capitalism and as an academic reviewer for esteemed journals such as Frontiers in Political Science, Diaspora, Indigenous, Minority Education, and Middle East Critique. Her multilingual proficiency in English, Arabic, Hebrew, and French, combined with her robust methodological skills in qualitative and quantitative research, position her as a leading figure in studying Middle Eastern politics, migration, and refugee issues.
In addition to her academic achievements, Ali has been recognized with several awards, including the Middle East Studies Association Global Academy Award (2024) and the European Commission's Seal of Excellence (2022). Her extensive publication record, including contributions to edited volumes and policy papers, further underscores her influence in the fields of political science and conflict studies.
Ali's work continues to inspire and inform, offering critical perspectives on resistance, activism, and the complex dynamics of power in conflict-ridden societies. Her contributions to academia and her role as a policy analyst and political commentator make her a vital voice in the ongoing discourse on peace, conflict, and social justice.
Publications
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Israeli Online Surveillance Regime: Digital Colonization in Practice,” in Resisting Domination in Palestine: Mechanisms and Techniques of Control, Coloniality and Settler Colonialism, Edited by Alaa Tartir, Timothy Seidel, and Tariq Dana, March 2024, I.B. Tauris & Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “When an Indigenous Researcher Sees, Speaks and Writes: The Experience of Palestinian Research in Israel,” in Decolonising Peace and Conflict Studies through Indigenous Research, pp. 75-87. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore, 2022.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Militarising Technology: ‘Smart Surveillance of Coronavirus’, pp.23-45. Mada al-Carmel-Arab Center for Applied Social Studies, Haifa, 2021 (Arabic).
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Violating Network Gender-Based Violence against Palestinian Women in the Digital Space”, in 7amleh-The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, November, 2022.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “The Question of Palestinian Representation: Elections vs. Consensus-Building”, in Reclaiming The PLO, Re-Engaging Youth, Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network April, 2022.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Monitoring and Analysing of the Second Phase of the Palestinian Local Elections”, in 7amleh-The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, April, 2022.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Hate Network: Hate Speech on Social Media Platforms in the Palestinian Context and its Impact on their Digital Rights”, in 7amleh-The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, September, 2021.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Understanding Netanyahu’s Political Survival”, in Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, May, 2020.
- Ali. Nijmeh. “Israeli Impact on Palestinian Digital Rights During the Coronavirus Pandemic”, in 7amleh-The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, August 20, 2020.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Active and Transformative Sumud among Palestinian Activists in Israel.” In Palestine and Rule of Power, pp. 71-103. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019.
- Rachel Rafferty, Nijmeh Ali, Megan Galloway, Heidi Kleinshmidt, Khin Khin Lwin, Mercy Rezaun: “It affects me as a man”: Recognising and responding to former refugee men’s experiences of resettlement. An exploratory study in Dunedin, New Zealand. Policy Paper, January 17, 2019. The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.
- Ali, Nijmeh. Hawari, Yara. “Should Palestinian Citizens of Israel Boycott the Elections?”: in Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, September, 2019.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Lifestyle of Resistance: The Palestinians in Israel”, published in the Journal of Conflict Transformation and Security (JCTS): Vol. 6, no.2, p. 143-164, 2018.
- Ali, Nijmeh. “Political Disobedience in Israel: A Strategy of Resistance among Palestinians in Israel.” International Journal of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, no.2, p. 25-36, 2017.
