Dr Ayyaz Mallick

Personal Statement

I am a human geographer engaged in the interdisciplinary study of class, state, and urban space. My research interests include Marxist and postcolonial/anticolonial theory, with a focus on labour, social movements, and urban politics in Pakistan specifically and the global South generally. I have a particular interest in the works and uptakes of Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, and Frantz Fanon.

My publications in English and Urdu have explored issues of Marxist and postcolonial theory, urban development and restructuring, and the relationship between “particular” and “universal” in social theory and political practice. My academic work has appeared in Historical Materialism, Studies in Political Economy, Urban Geography, Antipode, and Tarikh [History]. I am also a regular contributor to popular outlets in the form of articles, interviews, and podcasts. My writing and interviews have appeared in venues such as Jacobin, The News, Novara Media, Socialist Project, and BBC Urdu.

My doctoral dissertation at York University (Toronto), titled "The (Un)Making of the Working Class in Karachi, 1980s-2010s", traced the social and political evolution of the working class in Karachi, Pakistan while contributing to debates in urban geography, development studies, sociology, and literary criticism. I am developing the dissertation for publication as a monograph. Prior to my Masters and Doctoral degrees at York, I completed my undergraduate education from Oxford University.