Usman Mahar

PhD
Postdoc; Project Manager, MSCA Doctoral Network MITIME
Anthropology of migration, affect and temporalities

Historia-, kulttuuri- ja viestintätieteet
Humanistinen tiedekunta

Usman Mahar on sosiaali- ja kulttuuriantropologi, jonka työ sijoittuu kriittisen muuttoliiketutkimuksen sekä affektien ja ajallisuuden antropologian risteyskohtaan. Hän tutkii, miten ihmiset rakentavat elämäänsä epävarmoissa, tilapäisissä ja peruttavissa olosuhteissa, erityisesti Pakistanissa ja Keski-Euroopassa karkotusuhan alaisina. Tällä hetkellä hän toimii tutkijatohtorina humanistisessa tiedekunnassa ja lisäksi MITIME MSCA -tohtoriverkoston projektipäällikkönä. Aiemmin hän työskenteli St. Gallenin yliopistossa tutkijana PRIME-hankkeessa, joka on paperittomien muuttajien oikeuksia käsittelevä Horisontti Eurooppa -hanke, ja oli vieraileva tutkijatohtori LMU:ssa. Hänen töitään on julkaistu muun muassa Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS)- ja Social Analysis -lehdissä, ja hän johti äskettäin muuttoliikekategorioita käsittelevän JEMS-lehden yhteistoimitetun erikoisnumeron (2026) toimittamista.

Tutkijan tiedot

Tutkijaprofiilit

Tieteelliset ansiot

Peer-Reviewed Journals

2026 : Doing and Undoing Categories in Migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (with R. Norum). »Read here» (OA) (NEW)
2026: Mobility Improvisation: Fun and suffering on the move. Social Analysis, Vol. 70, No. 1, 108-128. »Read here» (OA)
(NEW)
2025: The Feeling of Destiny: Taqdeer and 'voluntary' return in the everyday lives of irregularised Pakistani migrants. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Vol. 51, No. 4, 987-1003. »Read here» (OA)
2025: Experts, not vulnerable: Centring dignity in research with irregularised migrants. Qualitative Research, Vol. 26, No. 3, 561-579. (with L. Giannetto, A. Khan, Y. Kibeida, S. King-Savic and C. Procter). »Read here»
2020: In Pursuit of Masculinity: On aging bodies, migration and youthful masculinities. Journal of Bodies, Sexualities and Masculinities, Vol. 1, No. 2, 47-63. »Read here»

Special Issues | Edited Volumes | Editorial Work

2026: Special Issue "Doing and Undoing Categories in Southern Migration". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (co-edited with Roger Norum). (OA)
2024: The Multi-Sided Ethnographer: Living the Field Beyond Research. Bielefeld: Transcript. (co-edited with T. Burger, A-M. Walter and P. Schild). (OA)

Book Chapters | Reviews

2024: Qurb\ani: Nearness and Altruism as an Engaged Ethnographic Practice. In T. Burger, U. Mahar, P. Schild, and A-M. Walter (Eds.), The Multi-Sided Ethnographer: Living the Field beyond Research, 281-306. Bielefeld: Transcript. »Read here» (OA)
2024: Introducing the Multi-Sided Ethnographer. (with A-M Walter, P. Schild and T. Burger). In T. Burger, U. Mahar, P. Schild, and A-M. Walter (Eds.), The Multi-Sided Ethnographer: Living the Field beyond Research, 15-36. Bielefeld: Transcript. »Read here» (OA)
2023: Migratory Masculinities and Vulnerabilities: Temporality and Affect in the Lives of Irregularised Pakistani Men. In G. Stahl and Y. Zhao (Eds.), Migratory Men: Place, Transnationalism and Masculinities, 236-252. London: Routledge. »Read here»
2022: Review of "The Stranger as my Guest: A Critical Anthropology of Hospitality" by Agier, Michel (2021). Social Anthropology, Vol. 30, No. 3, 163-165. »Read here» (OA)
2021: Review of "Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan" by Rosita Armytage (2020). Social Anthropology, Vol. 29, No. 1, 257-258. »Read here» (OA)
2020: The Management of Refugee Repatriation: How Voluntary are "Voluntary" Returns from Germany? In M. Makki, A. Azam, S. A. Akash, and F. Khan (Eds.), Forced Migration and Conflict-Induced Displacement: Impacts and Prospective Responses, 21-36. Islamabad: NUST Press. »Read here» (OA)
2020: Inducing Return to Pakistan: 'Voluntary' Return Programs in Germany. The South Asianist Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, 57-70. »Read here» (OA)

Public Scholarship (Selected [oa] Publications)

2021: Österreich will Musa nicht. Hinterland Magazine, Issue 50: 69-72. (German translation of the Sapiens article below) »Read here»
2021: When “Voluntary” Return Is Not a Real Option for Asylum-Seekers. Sapiens: Wenner-Gren Foundation Anthropology Magazine. »Read here»
2020: Interview titled "Die Idee der freiwilligen Rückkehr ad absurdum geführt.” Der Spiegel, edited by Maria Stöhr. »Read here»
2020: Is the Pandemic a Chance to Challenge Global Inequality? Sapiens: Wenner-Gren Foundation Anthropology Magazine. »Read here»
2020: Europa schießt scharf. Der Spiegel, Issue 20/2020, 78-81. Open Access English version: The Killing of a Migrant at the Greek-Turkish Border. Spiegel Online (with Christides, G., Lüdke, S., & Popp, M. credited at the end of the piece). »Read here»

Yhteystiedot

Sähköposti

usman.mahar@oulu.fi

Sosiaalinen media

Personal website

www.usmanmahar.me

Avainsanat

Humanistiset tieteet kulttuuriantropologia