Current research: Simon is a PhD-candidate in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology, in the College of Arts and Social Sciences, at the Australian National University. His research focuses on Utopianism and its legacies in contemporary Iran. He spent 14 months conducting fieldwork among young families in Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city. 

Why anthropology? Having studies International Relations and Comparative Religion as an undergraduate, he became increasingly unsatisfied with the methodological foundations of both. He was drawn to anthropology by its commitment to long-term, ethnographic research, and broad theme of inquiry. In addition to a wider interest in religion, identity, and language, he maintains an area focus on Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In his spare time he enjoys researching rare phonemes.

TFS: Simon is a co-editor on The Familiar Strange blog, and manages the blog submissions process. He is also a regular contributor to the blog and podcast.