Sameera M. Khalfey

Dr Sameera Khalfey joined the University of Portsmouth as a Research Fellow in Defence based at Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 2016. Previously, she lectured in Strategic Studies at the University of Hull. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Reading before moving to the University of Hull to complete her PhD. Her doctoral thesis examined the intractability of relations between ‘Islam’ and the ‘West’, providing a holistic understanding of the dynamics at play. Looking at three distinct levels of interaction: the individual, the group and the system, the thesis incorporated an understanding of perceptions, religion and ideology, and the international system. Dr Khalfey’s research continues to explore the cultural, ideational and religious interactions within the international system – specifically between ‘Islam’ and the ‘West’. Her research explores the dynamics of conflict, extremism/radicalisation and terrorism. She is eclectic in her approach understanding the multidimensional nature of her chosen research. As a political theorist, she is critical, acknowledging the post-modern moment thus partaking in the deconstruction of orthodoxies in her field, whilst also appreciating the autonomy of the political. She is aware of and integrates the practical and political limitations of scholarly approaches in her work.