Charlotte Littlewood
Dr Charlotte Littlewood is Director of Research & Media at the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL), where she leads programmes and public engagement on faith in Britain.
Prior to joining IIFL, Charlotte held research roles and fellowships with policy organisations including the Henry Jackson Society, producing reports and public analysis on antisemitism, extremism and minority discrimination. Her Antisemitism in Schools research and related commentary have informed educators, policymakers and advocacy groups on contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and institutional responses. She has also consulted for initiatives working to strengthen Jewish–Muslim relations and foster wider community cohesion.
A specialist in extremism, inter-community conflict and antisemitism, her work explores how narratives travel between communities and institutions, and how to develop practical responses to rising antisemitism. Charlotte’s research and commentary pay particular attention to Islamism and Islamist antisemitism, as well as the broader harms of Islamist ideology in Britain. Her doctorate examined discrimination within the Muslim minority, with a focus on how the term “Zionist” is used as a critical frame to delegitimise and marginalise particular Muslim groups deemed “heretical”.
Before turning to academia, Charlotte served as a Prevent practitioner and Counter-Extremism Coordinator for the UK government. Earlier in her career, she lived in the West Bank for two years, working with women to tackle domestic violence and challenge Islamist influences at the community level. There, she gained first-hand experience of the region’s complexities and the everyday struggles faced by Palestinians, both in relation to local Islamist movements and the constraints of broader political circumstances.
Charlotte now draws on this blend of field experience, policy work and academic research to bridge the gap between practical implementation and theory, applying qualitative research, frame theory and diffusion perspectives to understand how hate spreads and how institutions can effectively interrupt it.
