Scott Atran

Research faculty

Scott Atran

Adjunct Research Professor

Scott Atran is an anthropologist who experiments on ways scientists and ordinary people categorize and reason about nature, on the cognitive and evolutionary psychology of religion, and on limits of rational choice in political and cultural conflict....

Publication

How political leaders use combat spectacles to symbolize national power and purpose

Jun 17, 2026

In an age when established political institutions and movements command diminishing loyalty, combat spectacles provide more than excitement. They create communities of feeling and, under the right conditions, powerful engines of political commitment....

Publication

What really wins wars? Atran weighs in

Apr 30, 2026

In a recent opinion essay, anthropologist Scott Atran argues that the decisive factor is often not superior firepower, but the presence of “devoted actors,” people whose personal identity is fused with a group’s collective identity and anchored in no...

Publication

Power beyond realpolitik

Mar 4, 2026

While international affairs are often reduced to contests of strength and strategic interests, anthropologist Scott Atran’s recent Quillette contribution challenges this assumption, arguing that moral culture and shared values are the true foundation...

Publication

Scott Atran on what sustains war: will to fight versus military might

Nov 7, 2025

Although wars are commonly thought to be sustained by military power, evidence shows that individuals’ willingness to fight can be so profound that they persist even against overwhelming odds. From World War II to the ongoing Gaza War, anthropologist...

News

“Peace is a modern invention:” Atran on U.S. foreign policy shifts

Oct 8, 2025

In a recent blog post for Psychology Today, Scott Atran discussed the implications of recent federal policy shifts in military posturing.

News

Atran on the future of Gaza, from Gazans

Feb 19, 2025

In a new article published in Foreign Affairs, Scott Atran and co-author Ángel Gómez shine a light on Gazans’ views, highlighting a complicated picture of postwar Gaza. Support for Hamas among Gazans has declined, however alternatives to the group’s ...

News

Atran discusses how organizations should approach geopolitical risk

Oct 25, 2023

In a podcast episode for RANE Insights, Scott Atran, adjunct research professor at the Ford School, explored the history and future dynamics of how organizations approach geopolitical risk through the lens of security and intelligence. Atran high...

Publication

Atran studies important differences between Islamist terrorist groups and other criminal groups

Feb 21, 2022

Islamist terrorist organizations are often described as similar to other criminal organizations, like gangs. A new study, “Willingness to sacrifice among convicted Islamist terrorists versus violent gang members and other criminals,” published by For...

Publication

Atran establishes values, strength of beliefs, and character as essential in the will to fight in wars

Feb 15, 2022

During the war in Afghanistan, America’s longest war, the Taliban suffered high casualties and territorial losses against a well-funded and well-armed opponent. Despite these circumstances, the Taliban endured the lengthy war, and ultimately emerged ...

News

Ford School faculty named among “Top 2% Scientists”

Jan 26, 2022

Stanford University named 16 Ford School faculty on their “Top 2% Scientists” list, representing the most-cited scientists with career and single-year impact in various disciplines. The faculty researchers join over 180,000 scientists worldwide. ...

In the Media

Atran on the importance of values and spiritual strength in the 'will to fight'

Sep 3, 2021 Science

"By failing to recognize limits on the ability to impose on other cultures values that have taken many years to attain gradually in its own culture, the United States and its partners will continue the unsound habit of approaching problems by buildin...

In the Media

Atran on strengthening community bonds to combat extremist movements

Feb 7, 2021 MLive

“It was fairly under control because the public space didn’t allow for extremists to come out into the open back then. They were in the closet and had to hide,” Scott Atran said. “But that’s not the case now, (the FBI) lost the tread and allowed it t...

News

Scott Atran et al look at cognitive triggers for extremist violence through brain scans

Jun 19, 2019

In a new journal article, a team of scientists led by Scott Atran, an adjunct research professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School and Institute for Social Research, reveals insights into the psychology of radicalization and terrorist viole...

Scott Atran discusses sacred values and devoted actors on Social Science Bites podcast

Apr 6, 2017

The Social Science Bites podcast describes Scott Atran's research as sitting “at the intersection of violent acts and cognitive science.” Atran, an adjunct research professor at the Ford School, seeks to understand what motivates ‘devoted actors’ to ...

Michigan News Release: "Challenges in researching terrorism from the field"

Jan 27, 2017

Engaging with youth involved in or susceptible to violent extremism is key in helping the U.S. government understand—and combat—terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, according to a position paper, "Challenges in researching terrori...

News

Atran speaks with “On Being” about the search for identity among youth in extremist cultures

Oct 20, 2014

Scott Atran discusses “the human dynamics of what we analyze as ‘breeding grounds for terrorism’” in “Hopes and Dreams in a World of Fear,” the October 16 episode of On Being with Krista Tippett. Atran contends that the fight for the world lies in co...

News

Atran article, Black and White and Red All Over, featured in Foreign Policy magazine

Apr 22, 2013

An article by Scott Atran in Foreign Policy magazine discusses media coverage of the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing and how media journalism influences public response to terrorist attacks. In the article, Atran argues that sensational media covera...

News

Atran: 'What we don't understand about religion just might kill us'

Aug 6, 2012

Scott Atran has penned an op-ed for Foreign Policy on the interplay between religion, science, and international conflict. Atran argues that the international community is entering "an era of greater religiosity," and countries should turn to scie...

News

Atran book includes interviews with jihadist leaders

May 28, 2012

Scott Atran has interviewed dozens of terrorist leaders and operatives, and he has collected his insights from those conversations in his book, "Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists." He discussed those insights ...

Colleague Scott Atran cites Axelrod's work on symbolic gestures in Middle East conflicts

May 22, 2012

Robert Axelrod was cited in an op-ed for Science and Religion Today titled, "How Can a Better Understanding of Sacred Values Help Us Resolve Intergroup Conflicts?" The op-ed was written by Scott Atran, a research scientist at the University's Researc...

News

Scott Atran interviewed by CNN in article, "North Koreans grief-stricken over Kim's death"

Dec 21, 2011

Scott Atran spoke to CNN about the intense North Korean reactions to the death of Kim Jong-il. Upon hearing the news of Kim Jong-il's death many North Koreans began hysterically sobbing and bawling, and television crews captured people so grief-st...

News

Scott Atran interviewed on American Public Media's "On Being" in "Demonstrations, Hopes, and Dreams"

Feb 10, 2011

Scott Atran was interviewed on an episode of "On Being," an American Public Media show hosted by Krista Tippett. As described by "On Being," the episode asks Atran to help "make deeper sense of the human dynamics unfolding in the Middle East and Nort...

News

Scott Atran pens New York Times op-ed

Oct 28, 2010

In "Turning the Taliban Against Al Qaeda," an op-ed appearing in the New York Times, Scott Atran discusses current and future U.S. and NATO strategies for negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban leaders. Atran also appeared on a segmen...

News

New book by Scott Atran offers a startling look inside terror groups

Oct 22, 2010

A new book by Scott Atran, "Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists," is now available from HarperCollins Publishers. According to the publisher, "Talking to the Enemy" offers readers a startling look deep inside te...

Robert Axelrod, Scott Atran pen op-ed, "Why we talk to terrorists"

Jun 30, 2010

Robert Axelrod and Scott Atran wrote an op-ed for the New York Times defending their right, as social scientists, to talk to U.S. classified terrorist organizations without threatening national security. The op-ed was written in response to a recent ...

News

Scott Atran quoted in AP article, "Analysis: High-seas raid deepens Israeli isolation"

Jun 1, 2010

Scott Atran spoke to the Associated Press about the fallout from an Israeli attack on a flotilla of Turkish aid ships headed for the Gaza Strip. The flotilla, also carrying pro-Palestinian activists, ignored warnings that the Gaza shore was under an ...

News

Scott Atran spoke to Newsweek about the psychology behind Iranian support for the country’s nuclear program

Jan 14, 2010

Scott Atran spoke with Newsweek about Iranian support for the country’s nuclear program. Atran frames the issue using a concept from social psychology known as 'sacred value,' or a value that transcends what might be considered rational benefit-cost ...

News

New York Times publishes Scott Atran op-ed about strategies to beat Al Qaeda

Dec 14, 2009

In "To Beat Al Qaeda, Look to the East," an op-ed written for the New York Times, Scott Atran explains social structure commonalities between Al Qaeda and the Taliban and discusses how the U.S. can use these similarities to defeat violent extremism i...

News

Ford School visiting professor Scott Atran wrote a New York Times op-ed piece, "How Words Could End a War," about peace negotiations in the Middle East

Jan 24, 2009

[Read New York Times op-ed] [Listen or watch Alan’s recent lecture: Looking for Al Qaeda: The Evolution of Terror Networks]