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Houman Oliaei

  • Assistant Professor
Academic Division: History & Society
Houman Oliaei is an assistant professor of anthropology at Babson College. He holds a PhD and an MA in anthropology from Brandeis University, as well as an MA in anthropology from the University of Tehran. His research intersects various fields, including the anthropology of humanitarianism, the anthropology of citizenship and state, political theory, forced migration and refugee studies, and Middle East studies.

Oliaei's current research is centered around the lived experiences of displaced Yezidis (?Šzîdî), who are an ethnoreligious minority in northern Iraq, particularly in the aftermath of collective violence and mass displacement caused by the genocidal attack of the so-called Islamic State in 2014. His first book project, titled "On the Margins of Humanity," delves into the intricate dynamics between humanitarian intervention, forced displacement, notions of belonging, and the politics of recognition among displaced Yezidis in Iraq.

Academic Degrees

  • Ph D, Brandeis University
  • MA, Brandeis University
  • MA, University of Tehran
  • BA, University of Tehran

Academic Interest / Expertise

Political anthropology; anthropology of the state; anthropology of citizenship; statelessness; forced migration, humanitarian intervention/aid, borders & mobility.

Courses

  • Degree Courses 2026

    • CSP 2008 CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

  • Degree Courses 2025

    • SES 2000 SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

  • Degree Courses 2024

    • ANT 4601 ANTHROPOLOGY OF MIGRATION

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Oliaei, H. (2025). The Temporal Politics of Erasure: Humanitarianism, Expulsive Carcerality, and the Displacement of Iraqi Yazidis. Ethnos. link
  • Oliaei, H. (2025). Navigating Shifting Legalities: Middle Eastern Asylum Seekers' Transcontinental Journeys to the U.S.-Mexico Border. Forced Migration Review. link
  • Oliaei, H. (2023). Navigating Dispute and Displacement: The Yazidi Experience in Post-ISIS Iraq. Issue: 151. Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University.

Reports

  • Oliaei, H. (2023). The Unknown Fate of Missing Yazidis: 8 years on and still waiting,. Yazda Global Organization. link

Books

  • Oliaei, H. (2026). Yazidis on the Margins of Humanity: Internally Displaced in Iraqi Kurdistan. Indiana University Press. link

Other

  • Oliaei, H. (2023). The High Cost of Short-Term Solutions: The Inadequate Response to Yazidis' Displacement. 1001IraqiThoughts. link
  • Oliaei, H. (2021). ?˜Strangers in their own land': Iraqi Yazidis and their plight, 7 years on from genocide: The Conversation. link

Presentations

  • Reclaiming the Sacred Past: Zoroastrian Revival and the Politics of Religious Autochthony in Iraqi Kurdistan Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of Middle Eastern Studies Association, Washington, DC (2025)
  • Fragmented Time and Fractured Citizenship: The Experience of Yazidi IDPs in Post-ISIS Iraq Oliaei, H. Conceptualising Displacement, Protection, and Solutions, London, UK (2024)
  • Citizen Refugee: Internally Displaced Yezidis and the Perils of Citizenship Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of American Anthropological Association, Toronto, Canada (2023)
  • The Politics of Return: Yezidis and the Ongoing Displacement in Post-ISIS Iraq Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of Middle East Studies Association, Montreal, Canada (2023)
  • Beyond Statelessness: Internally Displaced Yezidis and the Politics of Genocide Recognition Oliaei, H. Global Human Rights Hub, Arizona State University (2023)
  • Humanitarian Governance and the Temporality of Fear Oliaei, H. Forced Migration in the Middle East, Glasgow, Scotland (2023)
  • Being Minority, Becoming Cosmopolitans: Internal Displacement and Ambivalence of Belonging among Displaced Yezidis Oliaei, H. SEPAD (Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization Project), Lancaster, UK (2022)
  • Humanitarianism, Religion, and Sectarian Prerogative Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of American Anthropological Association, Seattle, WA (2022)
  • Moderator Oliaei, H. The Pedagogy Workshop of Race and Racism Comparatively, University of Michigan (2022)
  • Muharram Rituals and Affective Hegemony in Iran Oliaei, H. The Gramsci in the Middle East and North Africa, London, UK (2022)
  • A Humanitarian Prison; on Humanitarian Temporality and Politics of Nothingness Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of American Anthropological Association, Baltimore, MD (2021)
  • Negotiating Victimhood; Displaced Yezidis and Politics of Belonging in Post-ISIS Iraq Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of Middle East Studies Association, Montreal, Canada (Online) (2021)
  • Humanitarian, Religion, and Institutionalization of Difference in Iraqi Kurdistan Oliaei, H. Annual Meeting of Middle East Studies Association, Online (2020)
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