Hannah Ridge

Hannah M. Ridge serves as an Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at Chapman University within the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from Duke University, alongside B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Chicago, establishing a strong academic foundation in political science and related disciplines.

Her research critically examines religious nationalism through comparative lenses, focusing on Israel, the Arab world, and contemporary American politics. Key themes include:

• Democratic institution measurement and erosion
• Religious-ethnic identity intersections
• State policy responses to crises like pandemics
• Civic vs. religious nationalisms

Her empirical work develops survey tools to measure Jewish nationalism in Israel, revealing complex interplay between religiosity and political identity.

Ridge's recent publications in State Politics & Policy Quarterly, Democratization, and Religions journal analyze:

• Religious symbolism in state institutions
• Quantitative-qualitative hybrid methodology
• Demographic shifts in religiosity
• Policy implications of religious-nationalist beliefs

The 2024 article on Jewish nationalism in Israel employs both quantitative survey data from 200 Jewish Israelis and qualitative interpretive responses to explore variations in religious-nationalist sentiment.

Her work engages with theoretical frameworks from Grzymala-Busse and Perry et al., while contributing original metrics for religious nationalism assessment. Current projects examine democratic commitment across different regions and the political consequences of religious-ethnic identity in contemporary states.