Bio

Kabir Tambar is a sociocultural anthropologist, working at the intersections of political anthropology and the anthropology of religion. He is broadly interested in the politics of history, performances of public criticism, and varieties of Islamic practice in Turkey.

Tambar’s first book is a study of the politics of pluralism in contemporary Turkey, focusing on the ways that Alevi religious history is staged for public display. More generally, the book investigates how secular states govern religious differences through practices of cultural and aesthetic regulation. Tambar is currently working on a new project that examines the politics and ethics of nonviolence in Turkey.

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Professor, Anthropology

Honors & Awards

  • Hellman Faculty Fellowship, Hellman Fellows Fund (2014)
  • Member, School of Social Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (2011)
  • Sakip Sabanci International Research Award, First Prize, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey (2009)

Professional Education

  • Ph.D., University of Chicago, Anthropology (2009)
  • M.A., University of Chicago, Anthropology (2003)
  • B.A., State University of New York at Buffalo

Contact

  • ktambar@stanford.edu
    University - Faculty Department: Anthropology Position: Associate Professor

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 2034

Links

2019-20 Courses

Stanford Advisees


  • Shikha Nehra
  • Doctoral Dissertation Reader (AC)
    Samil Can, Paul Christians, Byron Gray, Karem Said, Kerem Ussakli
  • Orals Chair
    Catherine Baylin Duryea

All Publications