João Ferreira Dias

Dr. João Ferreira Dias is a political scientist, author, and public commentator specializing in culture wars, liberal democracy, populism, fundamental rights, and contemporary political polarization.

He holds a PhD in African Studies from ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon and a second PhD in International Studies, focused on culture wars, identity grammars, and fundamental rights in contemporary Portugal.

Dr Dias is an Integrated Research Fellow and member of the Scientific Council of the Centre for International Studies (CEI-ISCTE), where he is affiliated with the Democracy, Activism and Citizenship research group. He also serves as Director of the European Observatory on Illiberalism & Culture Wars at the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS).

His research explores the intersection of democracy, political identity, culture wars, populism, religion, migration, and constitutional rights. He is the author of Culture Wars: The Hatreds that Ignite Us and How to Overcome Them and regularly contributes to public debate through academic publications, opinion essays, and media commentary.