Shabnam Holliday

I am Associate Professor in International Relations. My research interests are focused on 3 areas:
The role of ideas in Iran and their relationship with domestic and international politics
I have looked at the ideas of ‘nation’, ‘democracy’, and ‘the people’ in the context of the Islamic Republic of Iran. My publications have looked at how these ideas are constructed and the meanings that are attached to them. Building on this, I am currently working on the idea of ‘world order’.
Approaches towards a more inclusive and non-Eurocentric IR
I come from an Area Studies and Middle East Politics background and found myself in IR because of my interest in Iran’s relationship with the international. This experience has led me to question and interrogate IR’s Eurocentricity and particularly the relationship between the ‘West’ and ‘the rest’.
Political change, revolution, and legitimacy in post-revolutionary situations
I am interested in the dynamics that lead to revolution and how legitimacy is maintained after a major change in a domestic political order. I have used Antonio Gramsci’s work to explore these dynamics.