Background
Azim is a DPhil candidate in Politics. His studies are generously funded by the Middle East Centre at St. Antony’s College and through a Doctoral Fellowship from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
His research interests lie at the intersection of political economy, culture, and state-society relations in non-democratic contexts. Azim’s doctoral work at Oxford examines how the transformation of a state’s political economy reshapes citizens' relationships towards and imaginations of the state, with a case focus on Saudi Arabia. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, his analysis probes how aspects of soft and discursive power, produced from above and below during state-led socio-economic transformation, help both state and society negotiate a rapidly evolving future.
Before Oxford, he worked as a political risk consultant for Eurasia Group and as a researcher for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Azim received an MA in Arab Studies (Politics) with distinction from Georgetown University and a BCom from the University of British Columbia.
Teaching
Azim has taught the following papers and subjects for undergraduates reading Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and History & Politics:
- Introduction to the Practice of Politics (1st year Prelims)
- Comparative Government (FHS Core Paper)
- Political Sociology (FHS Core Paper)
- Politics in the Middle East (FHS Option Paper)
In the 2024-2025 academic year, Azim was selected as the Stipendiary Lecturer in Politics at Trinity College, where he covered the teaching above and served as Director of Admissions for the College's PPE course. Separately, for the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, he has also taught seminars for graduate students on quantitative methods.
