Roxane Farmanfarmaian
مدرس · Middle East and North Africa Politics
University of Cambridgeمعرفی
Dr. Roxane Farmanfarmaian is a Research Affiliated Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). She serves as Academic Director for the Master of Studies (MSt) in International Relations and heads the Global Politics and International Studies division at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), while also being a founding member of the Centre for the International Relations of the Middle East and North Africa (CIRMENA).
Her educational background includes:
- BSc in Near East Studies from Princeton University
- MPhil and DPhil from the Centre of International Studies (now part of POLIS) at the University of Cambridge
Dr. Farmanfarmaian's research examines media dynamics in Middle Eastern political transitions, with emphasis on freedom of expression, sacral politics, and security. Her work investigates how media shapes state-society relations during upheavals, particularly analyzing the interplay between religious narratives and political discourse in post-uprising contexts.
Her publications reveal consistent focus on Tunisia's media landscape after the Arab Uprisings and Iranian strategic communication, demonstrating how states instrumentalize media for foreign policy objectives. These studies highlight the convergence of digital platforms, religious symbolism, and geopolitical strategy in contemporary Middle Eastern politics.
She secured £630K in research funding including Al-Jazeera Media Corp. grants (2013-2014) for multi-country studies on media in political transition and an ESRC Impact Acceleration grant (2015) on Media, Faith and Security. The latter project received formal acknowledgment from UK Home Office Minister Lord Ahmad for its applicability to counter-extremism strategy, generating significant media coverage through the Free Expression Research Group.
As a founding member of CIRMENA, Dr. Farmanfarmaian advances collaborative research on Middle Eastern international relations. She previously served as editor of the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (2002-2005) and maintains active engagement with policy communities through her work on media-security interfaces.
