Maria Josua

Dr. Maria Josua is a Research Fellow and Research Team Spokesperson at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies, part of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. She has held this position since July 2014 and previously coordinated the IDCAR Network (2014–2019) and led the Research Team 'Authoritarian Politics' (2015–2018, 2019–2023). Her expertise spans authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on repression strategies, legitimation mechanisms, and political transitions.

Education: M.A. in Political Science, Islamic Studies, and Public International Law (University of Tübingen and Copenhagen, 2002–2009); PhD on 'The Arab Uprisings as Crises of Legitimacy' (University of Tübingen, 2009–2014).

Research Interests: Authoritarian learning, political repression in autocracies, legitimacy crises, and comparative studies of Algeria, Jordan, and Tunisia. She has contributed to projects like the Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) and the DFG-funded study on repression justifications in North Africa.

Publications highlight her work on Tunisia’s autocratisation, repression strategies in Morocco and Tunisia, and the role of anti-terror legislation in authoritarian contexts. She has been cited in high-impact outlets like Mediterranean Politics and Contemporary Politics.