Sean R. Roberts

Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and of Anthropology
Director, International Development Studies Program, Elliott School
E-mail: seanrr@gwu.edu
Office: 1957 E St., NW 501-G / (202) 994-5767

Dr. Roberts is a cultural anthropologist with extensive applied experience in international development work.

Research

A specialist in Central Asia and China, Dr. Roberts has focused particularly on the Uyghurs, among whom he has conducted ethnographic fieldwork. He is the author of a blog on Central Aisa, The Roberts Report on Central Asia and Kazakhstan and frequently comments on current events in Central Asia for the media and the foreign policy community.

Selected Publications

Articles and Book Chapters

2008	Roberts. S. "Daily negotiations of Islam in Central Asia: Practicing religion in the Uyghur neighborhood of Zarya Vostoka in Almaty, Kazakhstan." In R. Zanca and J. Sahadeo, eds., Everyday Life in Central Asia, Past and Present. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
2004	Roberts, S. "Toasting the nation: Negotiating stateless nationalism in transnational ritual space," The Journal of Ritual Studies 8(2): 86-105.
1998	Roberts, S. "Negotiating locality, Islam, and national culture in a changing borderland: The revival of the mashrap ritual among young Uyghur men in the Ili Valley," Central Asian Survey 17(4): 673-700.

Internet and Audiovisual Resources

2009	Roberts, S. "The Guantanamo Uyghurs, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic movement, and the future of the global war on terror." The Roberts Report on Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Posted May 27.
1996	Roberts, S. Waiting for Uighurstan. Video (54 minutes). Los Angeles: Center for Visual Anthropology, University of Southern California.

Courses Taught

IAff 221: Cornerstone Seminar: International Development Studies
IAff 235: International Development Studies Capstone Seminar

Education

Ph.D. 2003, University of Southern California
M.A. 2001, University of Southern California (Visual Anthropology)
B.A. 1990, Bowdoin College