Rida Abu Rass
Doctoral Candidate (Program Complete) | Graduating Spring 2025
He/Him
MA Middlebury Institute of International Studies (2017); MA Brandeis University (2015); BA Brandeis University (2014)
Political Studies
Doctoral Candidate
Biography
Rida was born in Tayibe and raised in Jaffa, Palestine. He is interested in the factors that facilitate and obstruct political mobilization among indigenous and national groups, with an emphasis on the Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Rida received B.A and M.A degrees from Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (2014, 2015), and an additional M.A from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, CA (2017). Before matriculating at Queen’s, he worked as a data coordinator at B’tselem, a leading civil society organization that covers human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Terrirotires. In his spare time, he writes op-eds, and he blogs.
Research Interests
Comparative politics of nationalism, ethnicity and race, International Relations, social movements, Middle East politics, Israel-Palestine, peace and conflict, human rights, international law, democratization.
Awards
2022 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2022 R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowship
2020 Mitacs Research Training Award
2018 – 2022 Principal's International Doctoral Award
2018 – 2022 Queen’s Graduate Award
Teaching
Teaching fellow:
POLS 348 – Middle East Politics (Fall 2021, 2022)
Teaching assistant:
POLS 285 – Introduction to Statistics (Winter 2023)
POLS 244 – Democracy and Democratization (Winter 2022)
POLS 261 – International Politics (Fall 2020)
POLS 242 – Contemporary Regimes (Winter 2019, 2020)
POLS 243 – State, Nation and Democracy (Fall 2018, 2019, 2020)
POLS 285 – Introduction to Statistics (Winter 2023)
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed publications:
Abu Rass, R. (2024). The two-pronged Palestinian response to exclusion within Israel. Palestine/Israel Review, 1(2). http://doi.org/10.5325/pir.1.2.0007
Abu Rass, R., & Jerreat-Poole, A. (2023). Contaminating National Identity Through Intercultural Intimacy: (Im)purity and the Pandemic. Journal of Critical Race Inquiry, 10(2), 46–67. https://doi.org/10.24908/jcri.v10i2.16049
Haklai, O., & Abu Rass, R. (2022). The fourth phase of Palestinian Arab politics in Israel: The centripetal turn. Israel Studies, 27(1), 35–60. https://doi.org/DOI:10.2979/israelstudies.27.1.02
Under review:
Abu Rass, R. (under review). Ethnic and Lateral Underbidding: Evidence from Israel and Turkey.
Selected academic presentations:
Abu Rass, R. (2024, April). Ethnic and Lateral Underbidding: Evidence from Israel and Turkey. 2024 Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC.
Abu Rass, R. (2023, April). Political opportunity and organizational fragmentation: Palestinian mobilization within Israel. 2023 Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Abu Rass, R., & Jerreat-Poole, A. (2022, May). Contaminating national identity through intercultural intimacy: (Im)purity and the Pandemic. 26th Association for the Study of Nationalities Annual World Convention, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Abu Rass, R. (2022, March). Social movements, regimes and political change. Guest lecture for POLS 244: Democracy and Democratization, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Abu Rass, R. (2021, August). The two-pronged Palestinian response to exclusion within Israel. Zionism: Inclusion within the Exclusion?, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Haklai, O., & Abu Rass, R. (2021, June). The fourth phase of Palestinian Arab politics in Israel. 36th Annual Conference of the Association for Israel Studies, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.
Abu Rass, R. (2019, November). The role of religion in Israel and Palestine. Guest lecture for POLS 406: Religion and Politics, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Abu Rass, R. (2019, May). The dynamics of Palestinian contention in Israel. 24th Association for the Study of Nationalities Annual World Convention, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Abu Rass, R. (2019, March). Determining the causes of political-organizational cohesion and fragmentation. Political Studies Graduate Student Association Speaker Series, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
News media and analysis – selected publications:
Abu Rass, R. (2023, November 15). In spite of everything – the global left has not gone crazy. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/2023-11-15/ty-article-opinion/.premium/0000018b-d298-df9a-ab8b-ded8ebce0000
Abu Rass, R. (2018, June 14). The silent transfer of Palestinians from Area C. Ynet News. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5286150,00.html
Abu Rass, R. (2017, February 26). The Occupation is sustainable. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/1.3885405
Abu Rass, R. (2015, October 3). What Abbas should have told the United Nations. +972 Magazine. https://www.972mag.com/what-abbas-should-have-told-the-united-nations/112259/