Research

My research focuses on the global South and the Gulf, specifically the politics of sexual harassment, radicalism, modern-day slavery, social movements and South Asian diasporas. My projects employ qualitative research methods, ethnographic fieldwork, visual anthropology, digital ethnography, and new media technologies.

Current Projects

“The ‘third way:’ reimagining power elites, social movements and silent revolutions in postcolonial Pakistan”: an ethnographic study of social movements in South Asia, exploring the rise of Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as a social movement that challenged dynastic politics, mobilized youth and women, and became a metaphor of hope for the country.

Jihad and violence in Afghanistan: examining the relationship between jihadist propaganda and tolerance for violence among young Afghani men – with Daniel Karell, Yale University.

Taxi drivers in the Gulf: Why are you staying? Normative expectations and reverse migration from the Gulf during times of economic hardship – an interview-based project seeking narratives of private taxi drivers in the UAE and their lives during the pandemic – with Malte Reichelt, New York University Abu Dhabi; Institute for Employment Research (IAB) and Katharina Klaung.