Hanisah Abdullah Sani

Dr. Hanisah Abdullah Sani is a Lecturer at NUS College, National University of Singapore, with a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago (2019) and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan's Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies (2019-2021).

Her research focuses on the intersection of religion, law, and state formation, with particular expertise in Southeast Asian colonial and modern history. As a comparative-historical and political sociologist, she examines how cultural and moral systems divide and distribute power within societies.

Dr. Abdullah Sani's scholarly work reveals consistent themes across Southeast Asian contexts, legal pluralism, and religious practice. Her publications demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches combining historical analysis, ethnographic methods, and theoretical frameworks from sociology, anthropology, and legal studies. Recent work shows increasing focus on state-building processes in colonial contexts.

She actively contributes to academic discourse through publications in journals including the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, and Space and Culture.

At NUS College, Dr. Abdullah Sani teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including 'Global Social Thought' and 'Understanding the Social World,' reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary education and mentorship.