Andrew Hammond

Dr. Andrew Hammond is a Senior Lecturer in the Politics of Religion and Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAIS) within the ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences. Previously, he held positions as a Lecturer in Turkish History at the University of Oxford, a Middle East policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and editor at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies. He currently serves as a senior non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute Switzerland. His academic qualifications include a DPhil in Oriental Studies from Oxford, an MPhil in Modern Middle East Studies from Oxford, and a BA in Arabic and History from SOAS, University of London.

Hammond’s research focuses on modern Islamic thought, Islamic political movements, Late Ottoman Islam, Arabic media, Gulf politics, and early Islamic history. He has conducted extensive archival work using materials in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, modern Turkish, and Persian. His notable publications include Late Ottoman Origins of Modern Islamic Thought (2022), Popular Culture in North Africa and the Middle East (2017), and The Islamic Utopia: The Illusion of Reform in Saudi Arabia (2012). He contributes regularly to Arab Media & Society and Middle East Eye.

His academic interests span Quranic exegesis, Salafism’s evolution, Ottoman intellectual history, and media’s role in shaping religious discourse. His recent work examines the intersections between media strategy and state influence in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Hammond’s interdisciplinary approach integrates historical analysis with contemporary policy debates, particularly around Middle Eastern political Islam and media governance.

Prior to academia, he worked with BBC Arabic, Reuters, and other media outlets across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. He remains active in policy circles, providing expert commentary on Middle Eastern affairs. His editorial roles and media contributions highlight his commitment to bridging academic research with public understanding of complex regional dynamics.