Usman Mahar
Biographic Data
| ID | 878975 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Usman Mahar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Usman |
| FAMILY NAME | Mahar |
| SIGNATURE | MAHAR U |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of St.Gallen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7935-2030 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Doing and undoing categories in migration
This article examines the relationship between migrants and migration categories in the Global South. As an agenda-setting contribution, we argue that while classification is fundamental to social organization, categories are inherently unstable, permeable, and contingent on socio-cultural context. Migration categories, such as ‘irregular’, ‘labour,’ or ‘privileged’ – may appear fixed, yet they are fixed, yet they are continually reshaped through…
Mobility Improvisation
Social, cultural, and affective forces influence and shape migratory experiences and decisions in consequential ways. In this article, I explore the role of humor and affect in navigating restrictive mobility and its associated suffering to gain a more nuanced understanding of everyday migrant life. Increasing focus on these aspects aids in two ways. First, at a theoretical level, it helps bridge the gap between analyses that emphasize the suffer…
Experts, not vulnerable
Discussions on the conduct of research among individuals who reside in a place without legal status - widely referred to as irregular migrants - have long engaged with the ethical dilemmas that this work entails. Typically, this is done in relation to the perceived vulnerability of research participants. This article is the product of a collaborative reflection on methodological aspects of qualitative research with a population widely perceived a…
The feeling of destiny
Authors and Editors
Qurb\ani
In this article, Usman Mahar reconceptualizes the Urdu termsáqurbá(nearness) andáqurbaniá(sacrifice) by coalescing them intoáqurb\aniá(nearness as a path to altruism). In doing so, he explores the practices and ethics of engagement in the field and its broader politics. By underscoring the methodological and epistemic value of sacrifice and altruism that demands nearness, i.e.áqurb\ani, Mahar diversifies the modes of engaged anthropology that "Gl…
The Multi-Sided Ethnographer: Living the Field beyond Research
The Multi-Sided Ethnographer
As ethnographic fieldwork blurs the boundaries between ›private‹ and ›professional‹ life, ethnographers always appear to be on duty, looking out for valuable encounters and waiting for the next moment of disclosure. Yet what lies in the gaps and pauses of fieldwork? The contributions in this volume dedicated to anthropologist Martin Sökefeld explore methodological and ethical dimensions of multi-sided ethnographic research. Based on diverse cases…
Multi-Sided Ethnographer
Introducing the Multi-Sided Ethnographer
Authors and Editors
Qurb\ani
In this article, Usman Mahar reconceptualizes the Urdu termsáqurbá(nearness) andáqurbaniá(sacrifice) by coalescing them intoáqurb\aniá(nearness as a path to altruism). In doing so, he explores the practices and ethics of engagement in the field and its broader politics. By underscoring the methodological and epistemic value of sacrifice and altruism that demands nearness, i.e.áqurb\ani, Mahar diversifies the modes of engaged anthropology that "Gl…
The Multi-Sided Ethnographer: Living the Field beyond Research
The Multi-Sided Ethnographer
As ethnographic fieldwork blurs the boundaries between ›private‹ and ›professional‹ life, ethnographers always appear to be on duty, looking out for valuable encounters and waiting for the next moment of disclosure. Yet what lies in the gaps and pauses of fieldwork? The contributions in this volume dedicated to anthropologist Martin Sökefeld explore methodological and ethical dimensions of multi-sided ethnographic research. Based on diverse cases…
Multi-Sided Ethnographer
Introducing the Multi-Sided Ethnographer
Experts, not vulnerable
Discussions on the conduct of research among individuals who reside in a place without legal status - widely referred to as irregular migrants - have long engaged with the ethical dilemmas that this work entails. Typically, this is done in relation to the perceived vulnerability of research participants. This article is the product of a collaborative reflection on methodological aspects of qualitative research with a population widely perceived a…
The feeling of destiny
Doing and undoing categories in migration
This article examines the relationship between migrants and migration categories in the Global South. As an agenda-setting contribution, we argue that while classification is fundamental to social organization, categories are inherently unstable, permeable, and contingent on socio-cultural context. Migration categories, such as ‘irregular’, ‘labour,’ or ‘privileged’ – may appear fixed, yet they are fixed, yet they are continually reshaped through…
Mobility Improvisation
Social, cultural, and affective forces influence and shape migratory experiences and decisions in consequential ways. In this article, I explore the role of humor and affect in navigating restrictive mobility and its associated suffering to gain a more nuanced understanding of everyday migrant life. Increasing focus on these aspects aids in two ways. First, at a theoretical level, it helps bridge the gap between analyses that emphasize the suffer…
Ethnography (4 works) · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity (3 works) · Migration, Refugees, and Integration (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Anthropological Studies and Insights (2 works) · Anthropology (2 works) · Art (2 works) · History (2 works)