Faculty

Zacharias Pieri

Associate Professor

Contact

Home Campus: Sarasota-Manatee
Office: C208
Telephone: (941) 359-4200
Email

Bio

Dr. Zacharias Pieri is an Associate Professor of International Relations and National Security at the University of South Florida (USF). He is author of three books, and numerous peer-reviewed articles which focus on the relationships between religion, politics and violence. He is an expert on extremism and has led projects on Islamist extremism in west Africa, including Boko Haram, Islamic State affiliates, and Al-Qaeda affiliates, as well as projects on the rise of ethno-nationalist and far-right extremism in the United States.

At USF, as well as teaching classes and supervising graduate students, Pieri served on the Task Force for Strategic Renewal which oversaw the writing of the University's Strategic Plan (2022-2027).

He regularly advises UK and US governments on aspects of conflict in Africa and gave a keynote address at the annual Flintlock training exercise in Mauritania in 2020. Pieri contributes insights in the media including the BBC and the Washington Post among others.

He was awarded his PhD in Ethno-Politics from the University of Exeter where he established himself as a world expert on the Tablighi Jamaat movement. His Masters in Modern Middle East Studies with distinction was also from Exeter, and prior to that he graduated from the University of St. Andrews.

Research

Pieri, Zacharias & Ahmad Partaw. 2024. “Learning the Lessons of Afghanistan?: The Changing Prospects of Negotiations Between JNIM and the Malian Government.” Small Wars & Insurgencies. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2024.2380048

Pieri, Zacharias. 2024. “Framing the Climate Emergency: The Role of Music in Extinction Rebellion.” Social Movement Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2024.2304300

Pieri, Zacharias., Fox, Mary-Jane., Lahoud, Lily., and Jacob Zen. 2023. “Boko

Haram’s Child Soldiers: Media Mujahids, Martyrs, and Militants.” Terrorism and Political Violence. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2023.2199873 

Pieri, Zacharias and Jessica Grosholz. 2023. “Soldiers of the Faith: A Comparative Analysis of White Power Songs and Islamic State Nasheeds.” Deviant Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2021.1994359

Grosholz, Jessica, and Zacharias Pieri. 2020 ‘“A Skinhead at Heart with a Hate-Filled Mind’: Understanding The Themes Present in White Power Music”, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2020.1862818

Pieri, Zacharias. 2019. Boko Haram & The Drivers of Islamist Violence. London & New York: Routledge.

Pieri, Zacharias and Jacob Zenn. 2016. “The Boko Haram Paradox: Ethnicity, Religion, and Historical Memory in Pursuit of a Caliphate ”, African Security, 9:1, pp. 66-88

Pieri, Zacharias. 2015. Tablighi Jamaat & The Quest for the London Mega Mosque. London & New York: Palgrave.

Teaching

Dr. Pieri’s teaching interests are in the areas of international relations, global and national security, including:

  • Conflict in the World
  • Great Power Competition
  • Understanding Extremism
  • Islam in the Modern World
  • Social and Religious Movements
  • Terrorism and Political Violence
  • Qualitative Methodologies
  • African Security

Dr. Pieri is available to supervise Ph.D. candidates in areas relating to global and national security. He particularly welcomes students who want to focus on religion and conflict, understanding extremism, Islamist movements and jihad, white power groups in the US, great power competition, and the changing dynamics of security.