About
Jalal Fetrati is a first-year Ph.D. student in political science at the University of Michigan, studying the comparative politics of authoritarian regimes, democratization, contentious politics, government repression, and gender & politics. He is also a Graduate Fellow at the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan for the academic year 2023-2024.
His research primarily focuses on understanding the mechanisms that account for the survival of autocracies and new democracies. He explores the impact of power-sharing arrangements between rulers and challengers on regime durability and analyzes how social movements, including uprisings and revolutionary movements, influence elite defections. Additionally, he investigates the consequences of repressive measures, such as censorship and surveillance, on the longevity and outcomes of social movements, along with how dictatorships legitimize the use of repression against dissent. Finally, his inquiries extend to why some dictatorships facilitate women’s rights and descriptive representation while others do not. How do different groups perceive these changes in autocratic contexts? Do they assess the inclusion of women in politics and de jure advances in women’s rights as a window-dressing strategy by autocrats or a window of opportunity for genuine reforms?
When he steps away from research, Jalal enjoys playing tennis, embarking on spontaneous hiking and road trips, and finding solace in the melodies of instrumental music.
Recent publications:
Fetrati, Jalal. 2023. “Non-Violent Resistance Movements and Substantive Democracy.” Democratization 30(3): 378-397. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2022.2148159
Nepstad, Sharon E., and Jalal Fetrati. 2023. “Revolutions.” In Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Sociology, Eds Maria Grasso and Marco Giugni, pp. 521–524. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
