SOAS Global Developments Podcast Series

Adam Hanieh , the Director of the SOAS Middle East Institute, MBI Jaber Chair of Middle East Studies and Professor in the Development Studies Department at SOAS, joins Rida Fathima , an MSc Global Development student at SOAS, to discuss the blockade of the strait of Hormuz and the cascading consequences of the US-Iran war in this insightful and very timely episode.  Mapping the oil frontiers of th...

 This episode features Jonathan Dumont, an Emmy Award–winning journalist and senior United Nations humanitarian official, in conversation with SOAS MSc Humanitarian, Aid and Conflict students Lynn Tabbara and Hassan Karmali. Drawing on more than four decades of reporting from conflict zones and humanitarian emergencies, Dumont reflects on the changing role of journalism in contexts of crisis. Buil...

This episode of the SOAS Global Developments Podcast Series features Carlos Oya , Professor of Political Economy and Head of the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London, in conversation with Naomi Hossain , Global Research Professor of Development Studies. They explore the complexities of China’s role in Africa’s industrial future. Drawing on his new book, China for Africa’s...

25 March 2025 Sara Stevano , senior lecturer at SOAS Department of Economics, in conversation with Surbhi Kesar , explores the concept of social reproduction as a critical lens for understanding economic activities, particularly in the Global South.  Sara Stevano argues that social reproduction encompasses all work necessary to maintain life, including paid and unpaid labor, care work, and social...

Surbhi Kesar , lecturer at SOAS Department of Economics, in conversation with Sara Stevano , provides a comprehensive analysis of the informal economy, challenging traditional economic development theories by demonstrating how postcolonial economies persistently reproduce informal economic structures.  Her research, primarily focused on India, reveals a complex landscape of economic flux character...

28 February 2023 This episode features a conversation between Professor Carlos Oya from SOAS, and Khalid Abu-Ismail, Senior Economist at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and lead report author of “World Development Challenges Report: Development from a broader lens”. The report launch was hosted by SOAS DevTraC on October 2022 at SOAS. This discussion captures...

5 Avril 2023 "Afghanistan in Archives" is the first of a two-part episode, a group of SOAS scholars, Florence Shahabi , Zeynep Tuba Sungur, Barry Sadid, and Bismellah Alizada , examine the role of archives in shaping nationalism, identity and the state, both in the past and present. They explore the prospects of using archives to preserve the Afghan identity and humanise local discourses...

19 May 2023 The latest conversation in the DevTraC Podcast Series is part two of the Afghan podcast where Bismellah Alizada , Reza Hussaini, Rabia Khan , and Zarifa Hosseini discuss the struggles encountered by Afghan migrants seeking a new home, both as individuals and as a group on the move. Through personal anecdotes and insightful analysis, the group investigates the impact of language on inte...

30 June 2023 Guy Standing , Professorial Research Associate in Development Studies at SOAS discusses his latest book, “The Blue Commons: Rescuing the Economy of the Sea” with  Chris Cramer , Professor at SOAS, highlighting the role of corporates in prioritising profits over planet, and de-commoning our seas. Find out more about global development at SOAS: ·        Website ·        LinkedIn ·     ...

9 January 2024 'How might the lessons of history inform our choices in the present? Does a rules-based world order risk concealing informed discussions, potentially blurring the line between assumptions and reality?  In a world shadowed by its history, Gilbert Achcar , professor at SOAS Development Studies as he discusses his latest book with Karabekir Akkoyunlu , lecturer at SOAS, he urges u...