Maziyar Ghiabi
Associate Professor of Social Sciences, University of Exeter
I am Associate Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Exeter and the current Director for the Centre of Persian And Iranian Studies. I am particularly interested in studies who are keen to experiment with methodological approaches, including audiovisual as well as art-based methods. In 2023, I was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Sociology and Social Policy I joined Exeter thanks to a Wellcome University Award in Medical Humanities which funds a 5-year research project on 'Living "Addiction" in States of Disruption: a transdisciplinary approach to drug consumption and recovery in the Middle East'. In terms of research, I am a transdisciplinary researcher working on politics and health using ethnographic and historical approaches.
EXPs by Maziyar Ghiabi
Drugs offer a unique way of understanding a society. Through the story of opium, addiction, and drug policy, discover how drugs became a window onto modern Iran—revealing unexpected connections between politics, culture, public health, and everyday experience.
In a remote Iranian valley, a young shepherd became obsessed with his smartphone. His story offers a unique window into screen addiction, desire, and the deep connections between digital life and contemporary capitalism.
Far from being politically exceptional, the Middle East offers a powerful lens on contemporary politics and the rise of new right-wing cultures, revealing how nationalism, religion, and state power are reshaping citizenship and public life.