Ramin Jabbarli (he/him/his)

Graduate Student
Ramin Jabbarli

Contact Information

Office Hours
By appointment

Biography

B.A., Sociology, University of Washington, 2018
M.A., Sociology, University of Washington, 2021
BA in Bussiness Administration, Iran, 2010.
Associate of Arts, Green River College, Auburn, WA, 2016.
Curriculum Vitae (81.01 KB)

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Washington, with a Special Concentration in Social Statistics. My research examines how rituals shape national belonging and collective identity in multiethnic societies, with a particular focus on Iran and Turkey. In my dissertation, Veils of Belonging: Ritual, Identity, and Nationhood in the Modern Middle East, I combine quantitative analyses of large-scale survey data with qualitative casework to understand how the intensity of religious practices fosters—or fails to foster—cross-ethnic solidarity.

My broader research agenda bridges theories of nationalism, religion, and social movements, while also engaging with questions of environmental justice and ethnic mobilization. My article “Making and Transcending Boundaries: The Effect of Ritual on Nationalism” (Theory and Society, 2024) develops a theory of ritual intensity to explain why some rituals bring dominant and minority groups together, while others reinforce divisions. I am currently testing this framework through comparative studies of Iran, Turkey, and Belgium, as well as cross-national datasets that trace how ritual practices vary globally. Alongside this work, I am developing a second line of research on environmental justice, analyzing how ethnic grievances shape responses to crises such as drought and water scarcity.

Teaching and mentoring are central to my academic practice. I have taught courses including Contemporary Social MovementsGlobal Social MovementsIntroduction to Sociological Theory, and Sociology in Practice: Community/Civic Internship Program at the University of Washington, Hofstra University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Everett Community College. In the classroom, I emphasize inclusive pedagogy, scaffolded assignments, and mentorship that helps students connect theory to lived experience. 

Beyond academia, I am committed to public scholarship and community engagement. I serve as President of the Foundation for Inclusive Society, a Seattle-based nonprofit that publishes human rights and environmental reports on minority-populated regions of Iran. I am also Chief Editor of EtekYazi.com, a multilingual platform for social scientists writing in Azerbaijani Turkish and Persian. I give talks at international conferences and contribute commentary to media outlets including BBC, Voice of America, and The National Interest.

Through this combination of research, teaching, service, and public engagement, I aim to contribute scholarship that not only advances theory but also speaks to urgent issues of nationalism, inequality, and environmental justice in today’s world.

Herbert L. Costner Award: Distinguished Graduate Student Paper, 2024.
National Science Foundation — Honorable Mention, Graduate Research Fellowship Program — 2020
Ralph Leonard Achievement Award ($25,422), University of Washington — 2017
Undergraduate Honors Student in Sociology, University of Washington — 2018
Alpha Kappa Delta, International Sociology Honor Society — inducted 2018
Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Chi Beta Chapter — inducted 2016
High Honors Student, Green River College — 2016

Winter 2024

Autumn 2023

Summer 2023

Spring 2023

Winter 2023

Autumn 2022

Summer 2022

Spring 2022

Winter 2022

Additional Courses

Courses designed and taught as an Instructor of Record:

University of Washington (UW)

SOC 247: Contemporary Social Movements – Multiple quarters

    SOC 404: Sociology in Practice (Community/Civic Internship Program) – Winter 2023

    SOC 316: Introduction to Sociological Theory – Summer 2024

Hofstra University

    Classical Sociological Theories – Spring 2025

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

    Global Social Movements – Fall 2021

Everett Community College

    SOC& 101: Introduction to Sociology – Fall 2025

Other Teaching

    Sociology of Social Movements – Remote course for Azerbaijani Civic Nation (Non-Profit Organization), Toronto, Canada – Winter 2023

 

Courses Taught as Teaching Assistant:

SOC 316: Introduction to Sociological Theory – Fall 2019, Fall 2022

SOC 257: Sociology of Religion – Fall 2020

STAT 221: Statistical Concepts and Methods for the Social Sciences – Multiple quarters

SOC 110: Survey of Sociology – Winter 2021

SOC 222: Sociology of Sport – Winter 2020

SOC 300: Foundations of Social Inquiry – Fall 2018, Winter 2022


 

Professional Affiliations
Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, Member, American Sociological Association (ASA), Professional Member, PEN America – 2015–2017
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