Jonathan Laurence

Jonathan Laurence

Jonathan Laurence is Professor of Political Science at Boston College and Director of theÌýClough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy. A specialist in comparative politics, Laurence has conducted fieldwork in more than a dozen countries, held fellowships in France, Germany, and Italy, and served as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He holds a B.A.,Ìýsumma cum laude, from Cornell University, a C.E.P. from Sciences Po, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University.

Professor Laurence’s scholarship focuses on politics and religion in Western Europe, Turkey, and North Africa. He is the co-author ofÌýIntegrating Islam: Political and Religious Challenges in Contemporary FranceÌý(2006) and the author ofÌýThe Emancipation of Europe’s Muslims: The State’s Role in Minority IntegrationÌý(2012). In his latest work,ÌýCoping with Defeat: Islam, Catholicism, and the Modern StateÌý(2021), Laurence offers a geographically and historically wide-ranging comparative analysis of Islamic and Catholic political-religious empires. Arguing that Catholicism and Sunni Islam have employed analogous strategies for responding to the loss of political power, Laurence suggests that their histories have much to teach contemporary democracies and religious leaders about combatting extremism, preserving the spiritual authority of religious tradition in “secularâ€� states, and promoting peace in polarized societies. Professor Laurence’s scholarship has won acclaim from many organizations, including the American Academy in Berlin and the American Library Association. Most recently,Ìýin 2022, the American Political Science Association namedÌýCoping with DefeatÌýthe Best Book in Religion and Politics, which was his fourth APSA award.Ìý

Outside of the academy, Professor Laurence is a prolific and respected analyst. During his stint at the Brookings Institution (2008-2018), heÌýaddressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill, briefed diplomats, led a team of analysts at the State Department, and served on the Foreign Policy committee of two presidential campaigns.ÌýHe is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and his research and commentary on international affairs have been featured on CNN and in TheÌýWashington Post, and he has published essays in TheÌýNew York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel,ÌýtheÌýFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and TheÌýWall Street Journal.

Research Interests & Expertise

  • Western European politics
  • North African politics
  • Turkish politics
  • Religion and politics

Spring 2025 courses:
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  • POLI244701: Italy on Film: Nationhood, Politics and Society
  • POLI495219: Senior Thesis II
  • POLI710119: Graduate Readings and Research
  • POLI780103: Master's Thesis Seminar

Professor Laurence's Google Scholar homepage
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Awards

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