Dr Rob Aitken
Emeritus Staff

Profile

Biography

Rob Aitken is a social anthropologist who studied at the London School of Economics and University College London before receiving his doctorate from Leiden University. His doctoral research focused on political culture, local identities and state formation in Mexico.

Areas of Interest

Ethnicity and nationalism in conflict and post-conflict situations; processes of ethnicisation and the politicisation of ethnicity; institutional arrangements for the management of ethnic conflicts; impacts of international interventions and peacebuilding on ethnicity; identities and networks in the context of migration, multiculturalism and discrimination, and clientelism and political culture.

Publications

Selected publications

(2007) "Cementing Divisions? An assessment of the impact of international interventions and peace-building policies on ethnic identities and divisions", Policy Studies, Volume 28, Number 3, pp. 247-267.

(2006) (with Haleh Afshar and Myfanwy Franks) "Islamophobia and Women of Pakistani Descent in Bradford: The Crisis of Ascribed and Adopted Identities", in Haideh Moghissi (ed.) Muslim Diaspora: Gender, Culture and Identity. New York: Routledge.

(2005) (with Haleh Afshar and Myfanwy Franks) "Feminisms, Islamophobia and Identities" Political Studies, Volume 53, Number 2, pp. 262-283.

(2005) "Presidente Carlos Salinas de Gortari", in Will Fowler (ed.) Presidentes Mexicanos, Volume II (1911-2000). Mexico: INEHRM

Research

Overview

Rob's research focused on the transformation and politicisation of culture and identities, in particular on the comparative study of processes of ethnicization in conflicts and post-conflict situations (particularly Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq) and on issues of multiculturalism, islamophobia and identities in Britain. 

For more details on Rob's research please see his personal webpage