Wesam Hassan

Wesam Hassan is a Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics (LSE). His work bridges medical and economic anthropology, focusing on uncertainty, temporality, gambling, and speculative practices. Previously, he held roles at the University of Oxford, including Lecturer at Mansfield College and Geography Department, and Ashmolean Teaching Fellow. He holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford and an MA from the American University in Cairo.

Education:

• DPhil in Social Anthropology, University of Oxford
• MA in Social Anthropology, American University in Cairo

His research explores how individuals navigate precariousness through studies of gambling in Turkey, HIV governance in Egypt, and the intersection of health and economic anthropology. He integrates material culture and digital ethnography into his teaching, designing courses on qualitative methods, critical development geographies, and medical humanities.

Publications highlight themes like cryptocurrency trading in Istanbul, feminist solidarity against bordering, and post-crisis survivance. His work often addresses global health economics, biopolitics, and the entanglements of risk-taking with class dynamics.

Before academia, Hassan worked for over a decade as a public health specialist with UN agencies and NGOs, focusing on HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, and sexual health rights. He has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Iran, Egypt, London, and Turkey, examining topics ranging from womanhood rituals to smart home perceptions.