BIO
Dr. Yuan ZHANG is Professor and Director of the Religion in the Middle East Research Program of the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), associate editor-in-chief of Arab World Studies, and a member of the academic committee of SISU. Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. of International Politics from Fudan University. She is also an adjunct Research Fellow of the Center for Religion and China’s National Security at Fudan University. She specializes on Middle East Politics and Diplomacy, Regional Conflicts, Religion and International Security, Extremism and Terrorism. She visited Hong Kong Chinese University (2011), University of Oregon (2012), Brigham Young University (2013); Cornell University (2013-2014); Oxford University (2019) as a visiting scholar.
Fields of Concentration
Regional Conflicts, Middle East Politics and Diplomacy, Religion and International Security, Extremism and Terrorism
CONTACT
E-mail: zhangyuan@shisu.edu.cn
Tel: 0086 21 35373301
POSITIONS
Professor, Director of the Religion in the Middle East Research Program
Associate Editor-in-chief of Arab World Studies
Deputy Director, Office of Human Resources, SISU
EDUCATION
Ph.D., International Politics, Fudan University, 2010
Successive postgraduate and doctoral programs, International Politics, Fudan University, 2004-2010
B. A., International Politics, Shandong University, 2004
WORK EXPERIENCE
Professor, Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, 2019.4-
Visiting scholar at the East Asia Program at Cornell University, 2013.8-2014.8
Postdoctoral Fellow, East China University of Political Science and Law, focused on Religion and the Rule of Law, 2010-2013
Visiting scholar at the Department of Political Science at University of Oregon, 2012.12-2013.3
Visiting scholar at International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, 2013.3-2014.4
Associate Professor, Institute of Political Science, East China University of Political Science and Law, 2013.7-2017.4
Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, East China University of Political Science and Law, 2010.1-2013.6
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS as Author
Yuan ZHANG, Comparative Regional Religious Conflicts in the Age of Globalization (Beijing: Religious and Cultural Publishing House, 2023)
Yuan ZHANG, et al, Jordan’s Political Development and Diplomatic Strategy Since the New Century (Beijing: Current Affairs Press, 2023)
Yuan ZHANG, Religious Functional Units and Regional Violent Conflicts (Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 2014).
Yuan ZHANG, Religion and the Role of Law in the Anti-Terrorism Era (Beijing: Law Press-China, 2012).
MAIN JOURNAL ARTICLES (in Chinese)
“The Security Study of Religions Paradigm in an International Order Changing Era,”Studies in World Religions, No. 1, 2025.
“New Afghan Security Governance Based on Constructive Consensus: From ‘Great Power Arena’ to ‘Stability Corridor and Bridge’,” Journal of Lanzhou University (Social Sciences), No. 4, 2025. (With XIAO Xiunv)
“Mirroring Hostile Discourses in Conflict: Narratives of Israel and Iran,” West Asia and Africa, No. 5, 2025. (With XIAO Xiunv)
“Türkiye’s Ontological Security Anxiety under the Tension of ‘Europeanization’: A Research on Türkiye’s Reaction on the Palestinian Question,” Chinese Journal of European Studies, No. 3, 2025. (With XIAO Xiunv)
“Weakening Sectarianism as Diplomatic Adjustments of Saudi Arabia from the Perspective of Complex Adaptive Systems,” Religion and American Society, Vol. 22, 2025. (With LIU Linzhang)
“Research on the Collaboration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: An Observation in the Horizon of the Change of Pan-Islamism,” The World Religious Cultures, No. 5, 2024. (With XIAN Zhen)
“The Return and Practical Dilemma of Israel’s ‘Periphery’ Strategy form the Perspective of Threat Balancing,” Arab World Studies, No. 4, 2024. (With XIAO Xiunv)
“An Analysis of ‘Re-tribalization’ in Libya’s Post-war Political Reconstruction Process,” West Asia and Africa, No. 4, 2024. (With YU Bingqiang)
“Security Issue of Maritime Energy Transportation in the Strait of Hormuz in a Changing International Order,” Arab World Studies, No. 4, 2023. (With YU Bingqiang)
“Russia-Ukraine Conflict and Iran’s Diplomatic Behavior of Maintaining the Balance of Power in Middle East Region,” Arab World Studies, No. 5, 2022.
“A Nation-Building Analysis of Jordan’s Response to COVID-19 with the Aim of Political Integration,” Comparative Politics Studies, No. 20, 2021.
“Middle Eastern Countries’ Cognition and Interpretation of Achievements and Governance Experience of the Communist Party of China,” Arab World Studies, No. 6, 2021.
“Analysis and Prospect of the Anti-epidemic Cooperation Between Hamas and Israel from the Perspective of Mutual Trust Theory,” Arab World Studies, No. 5, 2020.
“Crises in Political Development with Structural Security Constraints in the Middle East,” West Asia and Africa, No. 6, 2019.
“Religious Predicaments of Kurdish Nationalism in the Post-ISIS Era and the Jeopardy of Secular Political Order Advocated by the West,” Arab World Studies, No. 6, 2019.
“Influence of Religious Parties on Political Integration in the Changing Political System,” Journal of the Central Institute of Socialism, No. 2, 2019.
“China’s 21st Century Marine Silk Road Initiative and Chinese Religious Diplomacy Construction: A Case Study of Chinese Buddhist Foreign Exchange in Southeast Asia,” Global Review, No. 1, 2019.
“The Political Development and Party Mobilization in Jordan,” Comparative Politics Studies, Vol.15, No. 2, 2018.
“Islamic Finance Cooperation between Malaysia and the Middle East on Qatar Diplomatic Crisis,” Religion and American Society, Vol. 18, 2019.
“Nuclear Terrorism and Nuclear Security in the Middle East,” Arab World Studies, Vol. 174, 2018.
“Militarized Non-state Actors and Regional Security: based on a Comparison of Private Military Company and Extremist Terrorist Organizations,” Fudan International Studies Review, Vol. 27, 2018.
“G20 and Multiple Anti-terror Cooperation: A Religious Perspective,” Religion and American Society, Vol. 14, 2017.
“Conceptualizing and Measuring Terrorism: An Analysis of Terrorism Research Data and Terrorism Index Construction,” Probe, No. 2, 2017.
“ISIS: Quasi-Sovereignty and Regional Security,” Journal of International Security Studies, Vol. 34, No. 6, 2016.
“Interpretation of Institutional Discourse Right under the Perspective of Culture,” Probe, No. 2, 2016.
“‘The Belt and Road’ Initiative and Anti-Extremist Cooperation between China and European Countries,” Studies in World Religions, No. 1, 2016.
“Governance Dilemma of Ethno-Religious Conflict in Post-Colonial Myanmar,” Southeast Asian Studies, No. 1, 2016.
“Culturalism in Comparative Politics,” Foreign Theoretical Trends, No. 2, 2016.
“Global Religious Resurgence and Faith-based International Crisis Management,” Beijing Cultural Review, No. 3, 2015.
“The Role of Religious Ethics in ASEAN’s Regional Governance,” Journal of World Peoples Studies, No. 1, 2015.
JOURNAL ARTICLES（in English）
“China’s Views on Solving the Yemeni Issue Within the Framework of Global Security Initiative,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, No. 4, 2023.
“Identity, China’s Foreign Policy and Iran’s Nuclear Program,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, No. 1, 2022.
“A Nation-Building Analysis of Jordan’s Response to Pandemic with the Perspective of Political Integration,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Vol. 15, Issue 1, 2021.
“Religious Nationalism and Power Vacuum in the Middle East,” Eurasia Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2021.
“The Sorrows of External Secular Expectation in Post-ISIS Era,” Eurasia Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 24, No. 4, 2020.
“Gains and Losses of Religious Affiliated Political Parties in the Post-Arab Spring Era,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Vol. 20, 2020.
“Anti-Militant Islamism and Self-determination in the Post-ISIS Era,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Vol. 12, 2018.
“Offensive Religious Conflict and Defensive Religious Conflict: A Geopolitics Perspective,” Eurasia Journal of Religious Studies, No. 3, 2018.
TEACHING
Graduate Courses
China - Arab States Relations
Religion and Political Science Studies
Global Conflicts
Modern Western Religious Studies
A History of Western Political Theory
Undergraduate Courses
Religion and Contemporary International Politics
Religious Congregations and Social Security
LANGUAGES
Native in Chinese, Fluent in English
