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About Leon
Dr. Leon Goldsmith is a Senior Lecturer in the Politics Programme at the University of Otago, where he holds the position of Honorary Senior Lecturer. He specializes in Middle Eastern and comparative politics. Goldsmith earned his BA (Hons) and PhD from the University of Otago, completing his doctorate in 2012 with a thesis titled The Politics of Sectarian Insecurity: Alawite 'Asabiyya and the Rise of the Asad Dynasty of Syria. After his PhD, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman from 2013 to 2019. He returned to the University of Otago in 2019 as Senior Lecturer. His research explores ethno-religious conflict and integration processes, sub- and supranational identity politics, youth politics, political participation, political culture, institutions, and comparative political systems. His main geographic areas of focus are Syria and the Levant, and Oman and the Arab Gulf states. Current theoretical interests include Arab-Islamic empiricists Ibn Khaldun and Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi.
Goldsmith has an active publication record on these themes. Notable works include the book Cycle of Fear: Syria's Alawites in War and Peace (2015), 'God Wanted Diversity: Alawite Pluralist Ideals and their Integration into Syrian Society 1832–1973' (2013), and 'Dancing Between Raindrops: Politics Education in the Sultanate of Oman 2012–2019' (2020). Recent peer-reviewed articles co-authored by him are 'The educational potential and sustainability of “asymmetrical COIL” in Middle East politics teaching' (Journal of Political Science Education, 2025), 'Internationalizing Middle Eastern politics (MEP): A study of the educational potential of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) for Middle East politics pedagogy' (Journal of Political Science Education, 2024), and 'A review of contemporary governance challenges in Oman: Can blockchain technology be part of sustainable solutions?' (Sustainability, 2022). He has contributed book chapters such as 'Oman' in Handbook Near and Middle East States: Geography, History, Culture, Politics, Economy (2022) and a foreword to The Nature of Tyranny: And the Devastating Results of Oppression (2022). Goldsmith is a media expert on regional history and politics, the Syrian conflict, Arab Gulf politics, economy and society, Islamic politics, comparative politics, and political systems. He teaches courses on Middle East politics, comparative politics, democracy, and the politics of the Arabian Peninsula, and coordinates related streams in the Politics Programme.
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