Biography

Naheem writes on South Asian societies past and present. Before joining the Sociology team at Portsmouth in 2013, he completed his AHRB funded doctorate on the uses of cultural nationalism by South Asian writers at the University of Birmingham. Naheem has convened and lectured courses in Sociology, English and Cultural Studies. His particular focus is on the state's disciplinary formation of citizenship and the way Pakistanis respond to this imperative post 9/11. Whether it is the way Indian history-writing makes use of the past to challenge colonial rule, or how groups at the margins of Pakistani society adapt to the global technologies of surveillance, Naheem explores the functional paradox of power and how these affect our modern understanding of tradition, human rights and democracy. 

Research interests

Naheem is currently involved as principal investigator with Professor Basia Spalek (Kingston University) and Dr Laura Zahra Mcdonald, co-founders of the Connect Justice - Justice in Conflict group  on a project which explores how the global initiative to combat terrorism from Afghanistan/Pakistan impacts on subaltern groups in Lahore.  This qualitative work is about recovering the 'hidden transcript' of practices, gestures and rituals amongst subordinated groups as they come into traumatic contact with new forms of state domination. Naheem's perspective is critical of Development policy in South Asia and this research project, 'The Impact of State Security on Subaltern Groups: A Sociological Enquiry into Secrecy as a Community Problem' opens up new ways of understanding how the utilitarian norms of colonial modernity shape the lives of ordinary people in South Asia. Naheem is also currently researching the way in which women are indicted under British Terrorism legislation.