Michael Dumper

Professor Michael Dumper is a leading scholar in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, specializing in contested urban spaces and the Arab-Israeli conflict. With a PhD completed in 1993, he has directed major comparative studies on divided cities including the 5-year ESRC-funded project Conflict in Cities and the Contested State, collaborating with institutions in Belfast, Cambridge, Ottawa, and Windsor.

• Key Research Areas: Jerusalem's political geography, Palestinian refugee rights, UNRWA sustainability, and religious institutions in conflict zones
• Policy Engagement: Advisor to governments, NGOs, and UNRWA, with briefings for the UK Foreign Office

Publications include the acclaimed Jerusalem Unbound (2014) and Power, Piety and People (2011-2018). Current work focuses on UNRWA funding models supported by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung.

Awards:

• ESRC Large Grant (2007-2013)
• Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2015-2018)
• British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Fellowship (2002)

His interdisciplinary approach bridges political science, urban studies, and religious diplomacy, with a particular focus on Jerusalem's complex spatial and jurisdictional divisions.