Navid Yousefian, a Ph.D. graduate in political science from UC Santa Barbara, has a diverse academic and professional background. Born and raised in Iran, his educational journey began at Sharif University in Tehran, followed by master's degrees at Boston College and Central European University. His research primarily focuses on the Middle East, particularly the political economy of ethnicism and racism, decentralization, communal and environmental governance, and decolonial sociology. This interest led him to conduct years of fieldwork in Rojhelat (Iranian Kurdistan), enhancing his understanding of ethnic and racial politics in the context of the Iranian state's predatory mechanisms. He is revising his research, "Peripheral Dependency in Iran: Power, Socioeconomic, and Ethnic Disparities," which analyzes Iran's center-periphery relations through dependency theory and decolonial Marxist perspectives.
Currently, he is working on a project titled "Designing Digital Platforms for Democratic Confederalism in Multiethnic Societies," which explores the use of AI and blockchain technology in governance structures. This project builds upon his experience at the Energy Governance and Political Economy (EGAPE) Lab at UC Santa Barbara, where he engaged in finding applied solutions to environmental and societal challenges. Navid has also been instrumental in founding "See You in Iran" and co-founding "See You in Kurdistan," initiatives that foster sociopolitical dialogue and cultural encounters. His work has been recognized in media outlets such as The Guardian, PBS, TIME, Vice, CNN, The Correspondent, TAZ, ARD, CBC, and Le Monde, highlighting his participation in global discussions on politics and development. His experience extends to various NGOs and humanitarian organizations in cities like Tehran, New York, Amsterdam, and Washington, DC, where he has contributed to addressing multiple global issues.
