Paul Amar

Paul Amar is a Professor and Department Chair in the Global Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies. His interdisciplinary work bridges political science, anthropology, and critical theory, with affiliations in Feminist Studies, Sociology, Comparative Literature, Middle East Studies, and Latin American & Iberian Studies. Previously, he held roles such as Associate Professor (2010–2016), Assistant Professor (2004–2010), and Visiting Professor at Brazil's Federal University Fluminense (2003–2005). His research focuses on comparative politics, critical security studies, policing, human rights, and post-colonial theory, with regional expertise in the Middle East and Latin America.

His academic interests span Middle East politics (Egypt, Persian Gulf, Lebanon), Latin American studies (Brazil's urban inequality and state theory), queer theory, and theories of state governance. He is fluent in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and English. Notable publications include Cairo Cosmopolitan (2006), The Security Archipelago (2013, winner of the Charles Taylor Award), and edited volumes on the Arab Spring and Brazil-Middle East relations. His work critiques neoliberalism's impact on security practices and explores intersections of race, gender, and urban governance.

Awards include the Charles Taylor Award for The Security Archipelago. His teaching covers global political processes, human rights, policing, and critical security studies. He has engaged in activism as a sexuality rights advocate in Rio and served as a UN specialist in conflict resolution and development.