Professor Simon Mabon
Professor of International PoliticsResearch Overview
My work falls at the intersection of Middle East Studies, International Relations and (International) Polital Theory. I am particularly interested in sovereignty and its discontents, space, and nomos, along with the empirical manifestations of these issues. I am Director of SEPAD, funded by Carnegie Corporation and The Henry Luce Foundation.
Broadly speaking I am interested in the following areas
- Sovereignty
- The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran and its impact on regional politics
- Nomos
- Sectarianism
- De-sectarianization
- The Arab Uprisings
- Resistance
- Religion in political structures
- Regime-society relations
- International Political Theory and its application to the Middle East, particularly the work of Giorgio Agamben and Hannah Arendt
My research is comprised of two main strands: The first is the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran where I am particularly interested in the nature of the rivalry, its impact on states, identities and communities across the Middle East (and beyond), and the re-ordering of space. The second is the contestation of sovereign power across the region, where I am interested in relations between rulers and ruled, biopolitics, resistance, and the Arab Uprisings.
My latest book, Houses built on sand: Violence, sectarianism and revolution in the Middle East (Manchester University Press, 2020) was listed by Choice as an academic book of the year. An open access version is here.
Current Teaching
Current Teaching:
- POLI100: Politics & Governance in the Contemporary World
- PPR225: Introduction to Peace Studies
- PPR345: Exploring the Persian Gulf
Additional Information
I am Director of the Richardson Institute, based here at Lancaster, where I work to facilitate knowledge exchange and engagement with a wide range of civil society actors, both in the UK and internationally. The Richardson Institute is the institutional home of SEPAD, which has helped create a space for discussions about the contestation of sectarian identities, states and geopolitics in the Middle East. I am also the host of SEPADPod, a podcast series talking with academics working on the Middle East about their work.
I regularly appear on international media outlets and have discussed international affairs and Middle Eastern politics with BBC News, BBC World, CNN, Al Jazeera CNBC, Sky News, ABC Australia, TRT Turkey, France24, Russia Today, Deutsche Welle, Al Arabiya, BBC 5 live, LBC, BBC local affiliates, Radio Luxembourg, ABC Australia, CBC Canada, KFPA - California, and Newstalk ZB, New Zealand.
I served as Academic Advisor to the House of Lords International Relations Committee inquiry into the UK relations with the Middle East during the 2016-17 academic year. The full report is available here.
I have been invited to speak about my research at a number of international events including at the United Nations, the European Parliament, Harvard University, University of Chicago, DePaul University, NorthWestern, Brookings Institute, GeorgeTown University Doha, the University of St Andrews, King's College London, the University of Leeds, the University of Aarhus, An Najah University Palestine, and many others.
I am a regular tweeter (@profmabon), avid snowboarder, Arsenal fan, and musician.
PhD Supervision Interests
I am interested in supervising projects on the following areas: sectarianism, sovereignty, nomos, the state, desectarianization, space, and urban politics.
The End of Sectarianism? Desectarianization in the Contemporary Middle East
01/04/2021 → 31/03/2022
Research
Sectarianism and Proxy Actors in the Middle East - International and peace security strand - transitional movements in the arab region
01/07/2018 → 30/06/2020
Research
International Affairs
01/08/2016 → …
Other
Sovereignty in the Middle East
01/09/2015 → …
Research
Sectarianism in the Middle East
01/05/2015 → …
Research
Sectarianism and De-Sectarianization in the Middle East and Beyond
01/01/1900 → …
Research
Houses built on sand: Sectarianism in Bahrain
Invited talk
Houses built on sand: Violence, sectarianism and revolution in the Middle East. Book launch
Invited talk
Saudi Arabia and Iran: De-Escalation in the Middle East
Invited talk
Sectarian Games: Sovereign Power, War Machines and Regional Order in the Middle East
Invited talk
Exploring Desectarianization
Participation in conference
SEPAD Policy maker roundtable
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
SEPAD Policy workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
The Saudi-Iranian Struggle for Supremacy & the Future of the Middle East
Invited talk
Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Contemporary Middle East
Invited talk
The Struggle for Supremacy
Invited talk
Sectarianism in the Wake of the Arab Revolts
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
SEPAD Report Launch
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Struggle to Shape the Middle East
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
The Struggle For Supremacy: Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Contemporary Middle East
Invited talk
The Struggle For Supremacy: Saudi Arabia, Iran and Religious Soft Power
Invited talk
The Struggle for Supremacy: Saudi Arabia in the Contemporary Middle East
Invited talk
The Struggle For Supremacy
Invited talk
Saudi Arabia and Iran: Rivalry and Fragmentation after the Arab Uprisings
Invited talk
The Struggle For Supremacy
Invited talk
Houses Built On Sand
Invited talk
Saudi Arabia as a 'Middle Power'
Invited talk
The Apocalyptic and the Sectarian
Invited talk
Understanding ISIS
Invited talk
Saudi Arabia, Iran and Geopolitical Change in the Middle East
Invited talk
Understanding the Middle East: Should the West Intervene?
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
- Richardson Institute for Peace Studies