Reza Hasmath is a Trinidadian-Canadian academic, and a Full Professor in Political Science at the University of Alberta. He has previously held faculty positions in management, sociology, and political science at the Universities of Toronto, Melbourne, and Oxford. He has also worked for and advised global think tanks, consultancies, development agencies, and social organizations. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and was formally trained in philosophy, public policy, international studies and diplomacy, social and political sciences, as well as various East Asian and European languages.
His award-winning research can be summarized in five major themes: (1) examining the life course experiences and public management of ethnic minorities in global contexts; (2) analyzing state-society relationships in China and how the activities of emerging state and non-state actors potentially affect salient theories, practices, and assumptions in international development and global affairs; (3) assessing the evolving behavior of policy actors and citizens and their subsequent impact on advanced authoritarian regimes; (4) evaluating global social and economic sustainability and the development of environmental, social, and corporate governance principles and practices; and (5) probing into the essential qualities of the self, community, and state through their performative interplay in the public domain.
He has authored and edited 9 books, with 40+ journal articles in leading outlets across various disciplines, many translated into multiple languages. He has delivered numerous talks and policy speeches globally, and is regularly sought for advice by government agencies, non-profits, and multinational enterprises. Additionally, he is a frequent contributor to national and international media, with 300+ interviews on television, radio, and print.
Professor Hasmath is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Civil Society and the Founding Editor of the Routledge Research on the Politics and Sociology of China book series.