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Kamran joined the Institute as a resident fellow in September 2026 and will remain there until January 2027. (Photo credit: RGxHB Production)

Five months of interdisciplinary research and exchange

Dr Kamran Matin, Reader in International Relations at the School of Global Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences, has been appointed to the EHESS-Iméra Chair in Transregional Studies at Iméra, Aix-Marseille University’s Institute for Advanced Study, in Marseille, France.

Each year, Iméra offers resident research fellowships to interdisciplinary academics, scientists and artists who 'significantly transform the most common frameworks for thought and action', providing them with a unique environment for work and exchange.

Kamran joined the Institute in September 2026 and will remain there until January 2027. During his visit, he will work on the research project 'Inter-Subaltern Colonialism: Mapping Non-Western Colonialism onto Postcolonial Theory', which aims to provide an interdisciplinary framework for analysing the colonial oppression of non-Western peoples by non-Western states.

Rethinking colonialism beyond the West

Through this project, Kamran reframes the Kurdish question as a colonial question, rather than a minority-rights or human-rights issue.

The project argues that postcolonialism has largely overlooked forms of colonialism perpetrated by non-Western states and seeks to explain this gap through the new concept of 'inter-subaltern colonialism'. Using Iran’s treatment of Kurdish national aspirations as a case study, it examines how geopolitical pressures, capitalist development and nation-building can lead postcolonial states to marginalise, assimilate and subordinate stateless peoples.

Reflecting on his appointment, Kamran said: "It is a privilege and a pleasure to take up the Chair of Transregional Studies at Aix-Marseille University through the EHESS-Iméra Fellowship.

"This is an exciting opportunity for me to develop my research on the concept of 'inter-subaltern colonialism', which seeks to capture forms of colonial domination beyond the conventional focus on Western colonialism, while engaging with scholars from diverse intellectual, disciplinary and geographical backgrounds."

Research and wider contributions

Kamran’s research investigates the international dimension of social change, focusing on Kurdistan, Iran and West Asia more broadly. His work has contributed to reshaping debates on Iranian modernity, political Islam and Kurdish nationalism. Kamran has also made original contributions to the theory of ‘uneven and combined development’, nationalism studies and postcolonial critique.

Earlier in the year, he was honoured with the 2027 Kurd-Akad Honorary Award in recognition of his "exceptional academic contributions and outstanding civic engagement". He is a non-resident fellow at the Kurdish Peace Institute in Washington, DC, and a research associate at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA).

At the University of Sussex, Kamran serves as a Senator, representing the School of Global Studies. Beyond academia, he is a regular media commentator and public speaker on Kurdish, Iranian and Middle Eastern politics.

Read more about Kamran’s research, publications and contributions to the field.