University Professor and Minister , Dr Hermassi graduated from Sorbonne in Philosophy and received a PhD in Sociology from Paris in 1966 and another PhD from the University of California in 1971.

Dr Hermassi taught Sociology at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Tunis and at the University of California from 1971 to 1992, date at which he was appointed as Ambassador at UNESCO.
He was subsequently appointed as Minister of Culture in 1996  and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2004. After serving at the Emirates Center of Strategic Studies between 2005 and 2007 in Abu Dhabi , He has been called to serve as President of the High Council of Communication in Tunisia.
Publications:

Dr Hermassi is the author of several publications in Political sociology and Culture including: Worker Movement in Colonial Society: Tunisia during the Inter-War Period ; State and Society in the Maghreb; Leadership and National Development in North Africa; Third World Reassessed(UC Press 1980) ; The Maghreb and International Relations ( Carthage 1992).

He is President and Founder of the Tunisian Association of Political Sciences;  member of several associations including the Arab Thought  Forum , the International Associations of Political Science and Sociology; He has organized the UNESCO Conference on Tolerance (Carthage April 1995) and served as member of the Consultative Committee of the World organization of Intellectual Property (WIPO)