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Massimo Ramaioli

Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty Member

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Massimo Ramaioli is Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Previously, he was Assistant Dean, School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Assistant Professor, Social Development and Policy Program at Habib University (HU) in Karachi, Pakistan.
He studied at the University of Pavia, Italy, earning a BA in Social Sciences for Cooperation and Development and an MA in African and Asian Studies. He obtained an MA in Middle Eastern Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and then received a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University.
His main research interests are contentious politics, political Islam, Gramscian theory and International Relations theory. Before joining HU, he taught for two years at the Center for International Exchange and Education in Amman, and studied Arabic in Tunis, Damascus, Beirut and Fes.
Phone: 00212 701 214 962
Address: Room 9, Building 6
Al-Akhawayn University, Ifrane, 53000 Morocco

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Papers by Massimo Ramaioli

Recruiting Magnets of Jihadi Radicalization

Routledge eBooks, Jun 12, 2024

Salafism as Gramscian informed vanguardism

Contemporary Islam

In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguard... more In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguardism suggests how Salafis inhabit the political domain, by posing as the vanguard of a privileged group endowed with a historical mission. Relatedly, I summon the Gramscian concept of “philosophy of praxis.” With this, I intend to reconfigure Wiktorowicz’s classificatory scheme predicated on too stark an opposition between ‘aqīdah (theory) and manhaj (method). The philosophy of praxis accounts for the inherent tension between these two domains. Such tension is manifest in Salafis’ ambiguities, compromises, internal rifts, ideological adjustments, and revisions. Two related Gramscian concepts, historical bloc and modern Prince, bring such considerations more immediately into the political. They highlight, respectively, the political-historical context in which Salafis operate and the political-historical role they play as instances of vanguardism. I then put forth my classificatory scheme ...

Salafism as Gramscian informed vanguardism

Massimo Ramaioli, 2023

In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguard... more In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguardism suggests how Salafis inhabit the political domain, by posing as the vanguard of a privileged group endowed with a historical mission. Relatedly, I summon the Gramscian concept of "philosophy of praxis." With this, I intend to reconfigure Wiktorowicz's classificatory scheme predicated on too stark an opposition between 'aqīdah (theory) and manhaj (method). The philosophy of praxis accounts for the inherent tension between these two domains. Such tension is manifest in Salafis' ambiguities, compromises, internal rifts, ideological adjustments, and revisions. Two related Gramscian concepts, historical bloc and modern Prince, bring such considerations more immediately into the political. They highlight, respectively, the political-historical context in which Salafis operate and the political-historical role they play as instances of vanguardism. I then put forth my classificatory scheme in the form of a typology. One axis is represented by the attitude towards the "historical bloc" (pro or anti) and the kind of vanguard posturing that emerges out of it (support, creation, or activation). The other axis is represented by the specific framing of the "Enemy" category on the part of the Salafi vanguard (historical/institutional or essential/identitarian), and the stance they consequently assume towards it (compromise/accommodation or rejection/denunciation). The resulting classification offers six categories (accommodationists, partisans, delayers, agitators, mobilizers, and belligerents). Stressing the fundamental political nature of contemporary Salafism-its vanguardism-they account for its inscription in a specific, modern way of thinking and acting the political.

The Making of a Minority: Subalternity and Minoritisation of Jordanian Salafism

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East, 2020

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East

This series seeks to provide a unique and dedicated outlet for the publication of theoretically i... more This series seeks to provide a unique and dedicated outlet for the publication of theoretically informed, historically grounded and empirically governed research on minorities and 'minoritization' processes in the regions of West Asia and North Africa (WANA). In WANA, from Morocco to Afghanistan and from Turkey to the Sudan almost every country has substantial religious, ethnic or linguistic minorities. Their changing character and dynamic evolution notwithstanding, minorities have played key roles in social, economic, political and cultural life of WANA societies from the antiquity and been at the center of the modern history of the region. WANA's experience of modernity, processes of state formation and economic development, the problems of domestic and interstate conflict and security, and instances of state failure, civil war, and secession are all closely intertwined with the history and politics of minorities, and with how different socio-political categories related to the idea of minority have informed or underpinned historical processes unfolding in the region. WANA minorities have also played a decisive role in the rapid and crisis-ridden transformation of the geopolitics of WANA in the aftermath of the Cold War and the commencement of globalization. Past and contemporary histories, and the future shape and trajectory of WANA countries are therefore intrinsically tied to the dynamics of minorities. Intellectual, political, and practical significance of minorities in WANA therefore cannot be overstated. The overarching rationale for this series is the absence of specialized series devoted to minorities in WANA. Books on this topic are often included in area, country or theme-specific series that are not amenable to theoretically more rigorous and empirically wider and multi-dimensional approaches and therefore impose certain intellectual constraints on the books especially in terms of geographical scope, theoretical depth, and disciplinary orientation. This series addresses this problem by providing a dedicated space for books on minorities in WANA. It encourages inter-and multidisciplinary approaches to minorities in WANA with a view to promote the combination of analytical rigor with empirical richness. As such the series is intended to bridge a significant gap on the subject in the academic books market, increase the visibility of research on minorities in WANA, and meets the demand of academics, students, and policy makers working on, or interested in, the region alike. The editorial team of the series will adopt a proactive and supportive approach through soliciting original and innovative works, closer engagement with the authors, providing feedback on draft monographs prior to publication, and ensuring the high quality of the output.

Contentious Politics in the Arab Middle East: Jordanian Salafism and the Social Appropriation of Tradition

p. i Title Page, p. ii Copy Right Page, p. iii Acknowledgements, p. iv Chapter 1 – Introduction I... more p. i Title Page, p. ii Copy Right Page, p. iii Acknowledgements, p. iv Chapter 1 – Introduction Intellectuals in Contention, p. 1 Salafis: Contentious Politics, Islamism and Gramscian Intellectuals, p. 5 Studying Islamism and Mobilization: an Unavoidable Tension?, p. 11 Theory and the Salafi Case, p. 13 Jordanian Salafism: an Overview, p. 14 Plan of the Study, p. 16 Chapter 2 A Land of Three Rivers: Combining Perspectives Geography as a Metaphor, p. 18 On the Study of Religion in Politics, p. 19 Religion, Ideas and Political Contention, p. 21 Evolution of the Field: a Bird’s Eye View, p. 24 Framing Theory and the Study of Mobilization and Contention, p. 28 Dynamics of Contention, Cognition and Meaning Making, p. 37 Popular Intellectuals and Alternative Worldviews, p. 40 Defining an Elusive Actor: the Sociology of the Intellectuals, p. 42 Mobilizing Islam, or Why We’re Here, p. 50 Chapter 3 The Social Appropriation of Tradition: A Theory on Religious Intellectuals and Mobilization Gr...

New kids on the block

New kids on the block

Nursing times

<jats:p>Like Gender Economics, Trafficking in persons has only recently emerged into academ... more <jats:p>Like Gender Economics, Trafficking in persons has only recently emerged into academic consciousness and business environment concerns, as a discrete area of study with its own particular areas of legal, socio-anthropological and economic principles, in the first decades of this third millennium. New discourses raise fresh questions and they are legion. The 'new kids' seek to make sense of challenging phenomena and outline the terms through which, Trafficking in persons it is to be articulated to the wider academy, public services, market institutions, and civil society. This chapter explicates the connectedness of critiques Gender Economics has been using on businesses, to see how Human Traffickers exploit people's bodies and their gendered realities. There is certain passivity towards the human, inbuilt in neo-liberal markets which commodify the whole of life. Those least able to protect themselves from the abusive 'entrepreneurship' of traffickers are traded, with their gendered reality affecting prices and outcomes. </jats:p>

The Making of a Minority: Subalternity and Minoritisation of Jordanian Salafism

Interviewing Salafis

Oxford Scholarship Online

In chapter 10, Massimo Ramaioli provides advice on interviewing Salafis based on his experiences ... more In chapter 10, Massimo Ramaioli provides advice on interviewing Salafis based on his experiences in Jordan. He shares 10 considerations with the readers: orientalism, ethics, risks, context, meetings, approach, language, ivory tower, muqābala (encounter/interview), and surprises. Salafis, insofar as it is possible to generalize, tend to share a rigid approach to Islam that may present a number of unusual and specific challenges to the researcher. This chapter seeks to offer practical and theoretical suggestions as to how to approach Salafis of various inclinations and attitudes for carrying out interviews, balancing amongst issues of access and communication, personal safety, and ethics.

Iraq and Syria Politics Syllabus Draft

Draft for a course on the modern history and politics of Syria and Iraq

PSC 344 - Intro to Middle East Politics

I taught this course at Syracuse University, Summer Session I 2013

QUESTIONE LIBANESE, FORZE DI PACE IN MEDIO ORIENTE E IMPEGNO DELL’ITALIA

by Giuseppe Lissi and Massimo Ramaioli

Qual è stato il ruolo dell'Italia nella questione libanese a partire dallo scoppio delle guerra c... more Qual è stato il ruolo dell'Italia nella questione libanese a partire dallo scoppio delle guerra civile nel 1975? Questo studio illustra il crescente impegno militare e di peace-keeping in particolare dopo l'invio di truppe nel contesto della Forza Multinazionale del 1982. La presenza italiana in Libano si è poi affermata con le due successive missioni di UNIFIL, che hanno proposto l'Italia come uno dei principali attori internazionali nel paese levantino.

Dissertation Title: “Contentious Politics in the Arab Middle East: Jordanian Salafism and the Social Appropriation of Tradition”. Introduction Chapter

In which ways do ideologues and intellectuals affect social and political mobilization and the tr... more In which ways do ideologues and intellectuals affect social and political mobilization and the trajectory of contention through their ideological work? In this project, I analyze this question in the context of contemporary Arab Salafism, a particularly literal interpretation of Sunni Islam. I seek to unpack the processes by which prominent Islamist ideologues impact and shape two Salafi currents originating and operating across Jordan from the 1988 till 2005. The first current is labeled 'Quietist' Salafism, as its members engage mostly in preaching, proselytizing and provision of social services; they refrain from direct political activities or overt confrontation with state authorities. The second current is known as 'Jihadi' Salfism, and espouses instead a confrontational, radical and at times violent stance vis à vis state power. I posit that Islamist ideologues in both instances impact mobilization in similar ways through three main mechanisms: diffusion, whereby they facilitate the spreading and transmission of ideas and concepts formulated elsewhere; elaboration, whereby they build upon the existing body of knowledge on a given subject, providing novel insights, interpretations or at times formulating new ideas altogether; and systematization, whereby they (re)organize the otherwise relatively fragmented or incoherent worldview of their followers and acolytes. Together, these mechanisms compound into a process that I call ‘the social appropriation of tradition', by which group members, harking back to elements belonging to a shared and exemplar tradition, rearticulate the central aims of the group to include sustained social and political mobilization

Books by Massimo Ramaioli

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East: The Case of Jordan

by Paolo Maggiolini, Idir Ouahes, Maria Blanco Palencia, Luigi Achilli, Fernanda Fischione, Michael Vicente Perez, Massimo Ramaioli, and Oroub EL-ABED

MIWANA Series, Palgrave, 2021

Despite its small size and an initial appearance of homogeneity, Jordan provides an excellent cas... more Despite its small size and an initial appearance of homogeneity, Jordan provides an excellent case study for a dynamic, relational, historically contingent and fluid approach to ethnic, political and religious minorities in the context of the imposition of a modern state system on complex and variegated traditional societies. In this volume, the editors and contributors have sought to bind together a fluid, dynamic and relational approach to the status and historical process involving the creation and absorption of minority groups within the Jordanian case study. As such, the volume produces a double contribution. On the one hand, it provides a fresh set of contributions to empirically and conceptually enrich and diversify our understanding of the modern history of the state and societal groups in today’s Jordan, and on the other hand, it provides an example of why and how scholars can challenge the static and discursively governmental-minded approaches to minorities and minoritisation—especially with respect to the traditional emphasis on demographic balances.

Recruiting Magnets of Jihadi Radicalization

Routledge eBooks, Jun 12, 2024

Salafism as Gramscian informed vanguardism

Contemporary Islam

In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguard... more In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguardism suggests how Salafis inhabit the political domain, by posing as the vanguard of a privileged group endowed with a historical mission. Relatedly, I summon the Gramscian concept of “philosophy of praxis.” With this, I intend to reconfigure Wiktorowicz’s classificatory scheme predicated on too stark an opposition between ‘aqīdah (theory) and manhaj (method). The philosophy of praxis accounts for the inherent tension between these two domains. Such tension is manifest in Salafis’ ambiguities, compromises, internal rifts, ideological adjustments, and revisions. Two related Gramscian concepts, historical bloc and modern Prince, bring such considerations more immediately into the political. They highlight, respectively, the political-historical context in which Salafis operate and the political-historical role they play as instances of vanguardism. I then put forth my classificatory scheme ...

Salafism as Gramscian informed vanguardism

Massimo Ramaioli, 2023

In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguard... more In this study, I offer a categorization of Salafism based on the concept of vanguardism. Vanguardism suggests how Salafis inhabit the political domain, by posing as the vanguard of a privileged group endowed with a historical mission. Relatedly, I summon the Gramscian concept of "philosophy of praxis." With this, I intend to reconfigure Wiktorowicz's classificatory scheme predicated on too stark an opposition between 'aqīdah (theory) and manhaj (method). The philosophy of praxis accounts for the inherent tension between these two domains. Such tension is manifest in Salafis' ambiguities, compromises, internal rifts, ideological adjustments, and revisions. Two related Gramscian concepts, historical bloc and modern Prince, bring such considerations more immediately into the political. They highlight, respectively, the political-historical context in which Salafis operate and the political-historical role they play as instances of vanguardism. I then put forth my classificatory scheme in the form of a typology. One axis is represented by the attitude towards the "historical bloc" (pro or anti) and the kind of vanguard posturing that emerges out of it (support, creation, or activation). The other axis is represented by the specific framing of the "Enemy" category on the part of the Salafi vanguard (historical/institutional or essential/identitarian), and the stance they consequently assume towards it (compromise/accommodation or rejection/denunciation). The resulting classification offers six categories (accommodationists, partisans, delayers, agitators, mobilizers, and belligerents). Stressing the fundamental political nature of contemporary Salafism-its vanguardism-they account for its inscription in a specific, modern way of thinking and acting the political.

The Making of a Minority: Subalternity and Minoritisation of Jordanian Salafism

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East, 2020

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East

This series seeks to provide a unique and dedicated outlet for the publication of theoretically i... more This series seeks to provide a unique and dedicated outlet for the publication of theoretically informed, historically grounded and empirically governed research on minorities and 'minoritization' processes in the regions of West Asia and North Africa (WANA). In WANA, from Morocco to Afghanistan and from Turkey to the Sudan almost every country has substantial religious, ethnic or linguistic minorities. Their changing character and dynamic evolution notwithstanding, minorities have played key roles in social, economic, political and cultural life of WANA societies from the antiquity and been at the center of the modern history of the region. WANA's experience of modernity, processes of state formation and economic development, the problems of domestic and interstate conflict and security, and instances of state failure, civil war, and secession are all closely intertwined with the history and politics of minorities, and with how different socio-political categories related to the idea of minority have informed or underpinned historical processes unfolding in the region. WANA minorities have also played a decisive role in the rapid and crisis-ridden transformation of the geopolitics of WANA in the aftermath of the Cold War and the commencement of globalization. Past and contemporary histories, and the future shape and trajectory of WANA countries are therefore intrinsically tied to the dynamics of minorities. Intellectual, political, and practical significance of minorities in WANA therefore cannot be overstated. The overarching rationale for this series is the absence of specialized series devoted to minorities in WANA. Books on this topic are often included in area, country or theme-specific series that are not amenable to theoretically more rigorous and empirically wider and multi-dimensional approaches and therefore impose certain intellectual constraints on the books especially in terms of geographical scope, theoretical depth, and disciplinary orientation. This series addresses this problem by providing a dedicated space for books on minorities in WANA. It encourages inter-and multidisciplinary approaches to minorities in WANA with a view to promote the combination of analytical rigor with empirical richness. As such the series is intended to bridge a significant gap on the subject in the academic books market, increase the visibility of research on minorities in WANA, and meets the demand of academics, students, and policy makers working on, or interested in, the region alike. The editorial team of the series will adopt a proactive and supportive approach through soliciting original and innovative works, closer engagement with the authors, providing feedback on draft monographs prior to publication, and ensuring the high quality of the output.

Contentious Politics in the Arab Middle East: Jordanian Salafism and the Social Appropriation of Tradition

p. i Title Page, p. ii Copy Right Page, p. iii Acknowledgements, p. iv Chapter 1 – Introduction I... more p. i Title Page, p. ii Copy Right Page, p. iii Acknowledgements, p. iv Chapter 1 – Introduction Intellectuals in Contention, p. 1 Salafis: Contentious Politics, Islamism and Gramscian Intellectuals, p. 5 Studying Islamism and Mobilization: an Unavoidable Tension?, p. 11 Theory and the Salafi Case, p. 13 Jordanian Salafism: an Overview, p. 14 Plan of the Study, p. 16 Chapter 2 A Land of Three Rivers: Combining Perspectives Geography as a Metaphor, p. 18 On the Study of Religion in Politics, p. 19 Religion, Ideas and Political Contention, p. 21 Evolution of the Field: a Bird’s Eye View, p. 24 Framing Theory and the Study of Mobilization and Contention, p. 28 Dynamics of Contention, Cognition and Meaning Making, p. 37 Popular Intellectuals and Alternative Worldviews, p. 40 Defining an Elusive Actor: the Sociology of the Intellectuals, p. 42 Mobilizing Islam, or Why We’re Here, p. 50 Chapter 3 The Social Appropriation of Tradition: A Theory on Religious Intellectuals and Mobilization Gr...

New kids on the block

New kids on the block

Nursing times

<jats:p>Like Gender Economics, Trafficking in persons has only recently emerged into academ... more <jats:p>Like Gender Economics, Trafficking in persons has only recently emerged into academic consciousness and business environment concerns, as a discrete area of study with its own particular areas of legal, socio-anthropological and economic principles, in the first decades of this third millennium. New discourses raise fresh questions and they are legion. The 'new kids' seek to make sense of challenging phenomena and outline the terms through which, Trafficking in persons it is to be articulated to the wider academy, public services, market institutions, and civil society. This chapter explicates the connectedness of critiques Gender Economics has been using on businesses, to see how Human Traffickers exploit people's bodies and their gendered realities. There is certain passivity towards the human, inbuilt in neo-liberal markets which commodify the whole of life. Those least able to protect themselves from the abusive 'entrepreneurship' of traffickers are traded, with their gendered reality affecting prices and outcomes. </jats:p>

The Making of a Minority: Subalternity and Minoritisation of Jordanian Salafism

Interviewing Salafis

Oxford Scholarship Online

In chapter 10, Massimo Ramaioli provides advice on interviewing Salafis based on his experiences ... more In chapter 10, Massimo Ramaioli provides advice on interviewing Salafis based on his experiences in Jordan. He shares 10 considerations with the readers: orientalism, ethics, risks, context, meetings, approach, language, ivory tower, muqābala (encounter/interview), and surprises. Salafis, insofar as it is possible to generalize, tend to share a rigid approach to Islam that may present a number of unusual and specific challenges to the researcher. This chapter seeks to offer practical and theoretical suggestions as to how to approach Salafis of various inclinations and attitudes for carrying out interviews, balancing amongst issues of access and communication, personal safety, and ethics.

Iraq and Syria Politics Syllabus Draft

Draft for a course on the modern history and politics of Syria and Iraq

PSC 344 - Intro to Middle East Politics

I taught this course at Syracuse University, Summer Session I 2013

QUESTIONE LIBANESE, FORZE DI PACE IN MEDIO ORIENTE E IMPEGNO DELL’ITALIA

by Giuseppe Lissi and Massimo Ramaioli

Qual è stato il ruolo dell'Italia nella questione libanese a partire dallo scoppio delle guerra c... more Qual è stato il ruolo dell'Italia nella questione libanese a partire dallo scoppio delle guerra civile nel 1975? Questo studio illustra il crescente impegno militare e di peace-keeping in particolare dopo l'invio di truppe nel contesto della Forza Multinazionale del 1982. La presenza italiana in Libano si è poi affermata con le due successive missioni di UNIFIL, che hanno proposto l'Italia come uno dei principali attori internazionali nel paese levantino.

Dissertation Title: “Contentious Politics in the Arab Middle East: Jordanian Salafism and the Social Appropriation of Tradition”. Introduction Chapter

In which ways do ideologues and intellectuals affect social and political mobilization and the tr... more In which ways do ideologues and intellectuals affect social and political mobilization and the trajectory of contention through their ideological work? In this project, I analyze this question in the context of contemporary Arab Salafism, a particularly literal interpretation of Sunni Islam. I seek to unpack the processes by which prominent Islamist ideologues impact and shape two Salafi currents originating and operating across Jordan from the 1988 till 2005. The first current is labeled 'Quietist' Salafism, as its members engage mostly in preaching, proselytizing and provision of social services; they refrain from direct political activities or overt confrontation with state authorities. The second current is known as 'Jihadi' Salfism, and espouses instead a confrontational, radical and at times violent stance vis à vis state power. I posit that Islamist ideologues in both instances impact mobilization in similar ways through three main mechanisms: diffusion, whereby they facilitate the spreading and transmission of ideas and concepts formulated elsewhere; elaboration, whereby they build upon the existing body of knowledge on a given subject, providing novel insights, interpretations or at times formulating new ideas altogether; and systematization, whereby they (re)organize the otherwise relatively fragmented or incoherent worldview of their followers and acolytes. Together, these mechanisms compound into a process that I call ‘the social appropriation of tradition', by which group members, harking back to elements belonging to a shared and exemplar tradition, rearticulate the central aims of the group to include sustained social and political mobilization

Minorities and State-Building in the Middle East: The Case of Jordan

by Paolo Maggiolini, Idir Ouahes, Maria Blanco Palencia, Luigi Achilli, Fernanda Fischione, Michael Vicente Perez, Massimo Ramaioli, and Oroub EL-ABED

MIWANA Series, Palgrave, 2021

Despite its small size and an initial appearance of homogeneity, Jordan provides an excellent cas... more Despite its small size and an initial appearance of homogeneity, Jordan provides an excellent case study for a dynamic, relational, historically contingent and fluid approach to ethnic, political and religious minorities in the context of the imposition of a modern state system on complex and variegated traditional societies. In this volume, the editors and contributors have sought to bind together a fluid, dynamic and relational approach to the status and historical process involving the creation and absorption of minority groups within the Jordanian case study. As such, the volume produces a double contribution. On the one hand, it provides a fresh set of contributions to empirically and conceptually enrich and diversify our understanding of the modern history of the state and societal groups in today’s Jordan, and on the other hand, it provides an example of why and how scholars can challenge the static and discursively governmental-minded approaches to minorities and minoritisation—especially with respect to the traditional emphasis on demographic balances.