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 (Êzîdî), 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.
