Bio

Zep Kalb is a sociologist whose research lies at the intersection of global & transnational sociology, political sociology, and economic sociology.

Kalb is particularly interested in questions around ‘illiberal’ capitalism, state-led development, and economic change in the Global South. Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, Kalb’s research focuses on Iran, Turkey, and other cases in West Asia and the Middle East & North Africa region.

At Princeton, Kalb is developing his first book, which builds on his dissertation on labor movements, politics, and state-making in Iran.

Kalb’s research has been published in journals including Development and Change, the Journal of Agrarian Change, Middle Eastern Studies, and Iranian Studies. His research has received attention from news outlets like CNN and The Washington Post. He has also written for more public outlets, including Phenomenal World, Foreign Policy, Al Monitor, the New Left Review, the WP’s Monkey Cage, Jadaliyya, and MERIP.

Kalb holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, his research was supported by the Social Science Research Council’s International Dissertation Research Fellowship and the Rohan Cultural Heritage Foundation, among others. Kalb lived in Iran for several years, where he studied at the University of Tehran and worked as a journalist for a local financial newspaper.

You can find out more about Zep Kalb’s projects on his personal webpage.