From defying the Taliban to studying in Canada: Afghan refugee shares her story

The teenager who once risked her life to study in secret in Kabul can now spend hours in the quiet study area of the University of Toronto’s Robarts Library.

Political science research on the economics of jihad

Dr. Aisha Ahmad is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Director of the Islam and Global Affairs Initiative at the Munk School of Global Affairs, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College. In her book “Jihad & Co.: Black Markets and Islamist Power”, published last month by Oxford University Press, she argues that jihadists rise to power by exploiting local economies. But how does one interview smugglers, merchants, and extremists for one’s research in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali, and Lebanon? Dr. Ahmad discusses how she did her field work, and shares some advice for students who are interested in doing political science research. She has worked on projects funded by the Norwegian Research Council and the Connaught New Researcher Award.