Dr. Babak Rahimi

Biography

Babak Rahimi is an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Diego, specializing in the intersections of culture, religion, and technology, with a particular focus on historical social contexts within early modern Islamicate societies in the Global South. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the European University Institute in 2004. His research includes the historical-sociological exploration of public rituals and state power during the Safavid era of Iran, as detailed in his monograph 'Theater-State Formation and Early Modern Public Sphere in Iran: Studies on Safavid Muharram Rituals, 1590-1641 C.E.' Rahimi has also worked on forthcoming works including 'Senses of Mourning: Moharram Performances in Shi‘i Iran during the Qajar and Covid Era' and served as an editor for various significant publications related to theater and politics in the Middle East. He has held visiting fellowships at prestigious institutions such as the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His scholarly contributions have been published in numerous academic journals, establishing him as a prominent figure in his field.

Research Interests

Experience