Bernard Haykel is Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Director of the Institute for Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia at Princeton University. He has been described as “the foremost secular authority on the Islamic State’s ideology” by journalist Graeme C.A. Wood.
Haykel’s research focuses on the political and social tensions that arise from questions about religious identity and authority, with particular emphasis on the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabia. His work examines the reception of reformist ideas, analysis of the Salafi heritage in contemporary debates among Sunnis, and the Zaydi heritage among Shi’is. He has supervised or co-supervised nine completed Ph.D. dissertations and teaches courses on Middle East history and Islamist politics at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
His scholarly approach draws from anthropology, politics, history, and philology, focusing on the intersection of intellectual, political, and social history of the Middle East. He also maintains research interests in the effects of energy resources and rents on politics and society.
Haykel received his doctorate in Oriental Studies with an emphasis on Islam and history from the University of Oxford in 1998.