Diana Ibanez-Tirado

Dr. Diana Ibanez-Tirado is an Associate Professor in Social Anthropology at the University of Sussex's School of Global Studies. She holds a PhD and MA from SOAS, University of London, and degrees from UNAM and El Colegio de Mexico. Her research focuses on Central Asia, particularly Tajikistan, with interdisciplinary work spanning medical anthropology, mobility studies, and transregional trade networks.

Research Interests:

• Medical anthropology (hepatitis care in Tajikistan, medical travel)
• Ethnographies of mobility and trade
• Gendered kinship and family practices
• Embodied anthropology (sensory ethnography)
• Sino-Central Asian relations (Belt and Road Initiative)
• Islamic sociocultural dynamics

Major Projects:

• ERC-funded 'Yiwu: Trust, Global Traders and Commodities' (2015-2019)
• IDCF/SSRP grant on hepatitis and debt in Tajikistan
• School-funded dental tourism study in Turkey

Teaching: Undergraduate courses include 'Anthropology of Geopolitics' and 'Ethnography of the Middle East', while postgraduate courses focus on ethnographic methods and critical anthropology.

Outputs: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, plus video documentaries (e.g., 'Yiwu: 35 Short Stories'), photo exhibitions, and blogs. Fluent in 8+ languages including Persian, Russian, and Arabic.