Professional Affiliation

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES), George Washington University

Expert Bio

Dr. Mélanie Sadozaï is a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES) of the George Washington University (2022-2023). She received her PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO/Sorbonne Paris Cité) in Paris, France. Prior to becoming a doctoral student, Mélanie graduated with a B.A. in Persian linguistics and civilizations from INALCO, and two M.A. in International Relations and War Studies from Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne. She was a visiting scholar at the French Institute for Central Asian Studies in Bishkek (2019-2020) and at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at GWU (2020-2022). Her work, based on ethnographic methods and extensive fieldwork since 2014, focuses on cross-border relations in remote areas of Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the Pamirs. Her research interests include everyday life along the border, remoteness and connectivity in high mountain regions, relations between the Taliban and Central Asian governments, and geographical history of the border and the Pamirs. Much of her academic work is drawing on International Relations theories, border studies and transdisciplinary methodologies. She has published academic pieces in the Journal of Borderlands Studies, the Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies, and Problems of Post-Communism. She has presented her research during academic events in Europe, Central Asia and the United States.

Wilson Center Project

“Central Asia in the Taliban era: Border Security Implications and New Regional Alliances”