Dr. Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, a Libyan political scientist and academic currently serving as chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of New England in the United States, has gained international recognition for his extensive research into the history of Italian colonial rule in Libya. Born in Waddan, Libya, Ahmida has dedicated over two decades to documenting the experiences of Libyans during the period of Italian fascist occupation between 1929 and 1934.
Ahmida’s academic work focuses on the systematic killing and displacement of thousands of Libyans across 16 concentration camps. His research, notably detailed in his book, Genocide in Libya: Shar, a Hidden Colonial History, incorporates oral histories from over 220 survivors, archival analysis, and comparative studies. Ahmida argues that this period of history was long obscured by official Italian silence and international complicity.
Throughout his career, Ahmida has challenged traditional colonial narratives. His first book, The Making of Modern Libya, published in 1994, examined the economic and social structures of colonial Libya. His 2005 work, Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya, further emphasized the importance of oral testimony in historical documentation. Ahmida has reported facing significant obstacles in his research, including restricted access to Italian archives, which led him to rely heavily on field research and interviews with survivors in Libya.
Ahmida’s contributions have been recognized with several academic honors. In 2022, the American Institute for Maghrib Studies awarded his book on the Libyan genocide the Book of the Year award. In 2024, he was named a finalist for the Guggenheim Fellowship. Beyond his historical research, Ahmida has held prestigious academic positions, including the Ludcke Chair of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of New England from 2010 to 2011. In early 2025, he published a collection of poetry titled Who Sings the Melody of Joy with Me?.