About Us

The International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies (IRGAC) is an initiative of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung that brings together more than 20 scholar-activists from across the South to deepen and exchange ongoing research on authoritarian capitalism and far-right ideologies and movements, as well as strategic responses from the Left.

Portrait of Damir Arsenijevic

Damir Arsenijevic

Post-Doc Fellow

Damir Arsenijević is a literary theorist and psychoanalyst, working at the intersection of academia, activism, and art. In 2019, he set up “Zemlja-Voda-Zrak”, a platform for environmental humanities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Portrait of Onur Can Taştan

Onur Can Taştan

Post-Doc Fellow

Onur Can Taştan is a researcher from Turkey working on labor movements and trade unionism.

Portrait of Sara Cufré

Sara Cufré

Post-Doc Fellow

Sara Cufré is a feminist researcher from Argentina. She holds a degree in Political Science and a PhD. in Social Sciences (Universidad de Buenos Aires)

Portrait of Andrea Dip

Andrea Dip

Staff

Andrea Dip is a Brazilian investigative journalist, author, and researcher

Portrait of Inés Durán Matute

Inés Durán Matute

Associate Fellow

Inés is a researcher at the Centre for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (Mexico) and an active companion of the struggle of native peoples in defence of their territory.

Portrait of Jan-David Echterhoff

Jan-David Echterhoff

Staff

Jan-David accompanies the Global Scholarly Dialogue Programme as a project manager

Portrait of Hugo Fanton

Hugo Fanton

Post-Doc Fellow

Hugo Fanton is the State Coordinator of the Central de Movimentos Populares (Popular Movements Central) in São Paulo

Portrait of Firoozeh Farvardin

Firoozeh Farvardin

Post-Doc Fellow

Firoozeh Farvardin is a postdoc researcher/activist working on gender/sexual (counter) strategies of authoritarian neoliberalism at IRGAC hosted by the MERGE.

Portrait of Mariano Féliz

Mariano Féliz

Associate Fellow

Mariano Féliz is a social activist in Argentina. He is also a professor at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and researcher at the CIG-IDIHCS.

Portrait of Fábio Luís Ferreira Nóbrega Franco

Fábio Luís Ferreira Nóbrega Franco

Associate Fellow

Fábio Luís Ferreira Nóbrega Franco is a psychoanalyst and holds a PhD in philosophy.

Portrait of Jeffrey Karam

Jeffrey Karam

Associate Fellow

Jeffrey G. Karam is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Lebanese American University. He is a non-resident Research Associate at Harvard University’s Middle East Initiative.

Portrait of Nwet Kay Khine

Nwet Kay Khine

Associate Fellow

Nwet Kay Khine, a former journalist and writer from Myanmar, is now a post doctoral research fellow at Passau University and affiliated to the Center for Social Development Studies of Chulalongkorn University

Portrait of Melehat Kutun

Melehat Kutun

Post-Doc Fellow

Melehat Kutun is a Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung fellow at the International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies. She has written her habilitation project at Kassel University.

Portrait of Paula Gil Larruscahim

Paula Gil Larruscahim

Post-Doc Fellow

Paula holds a PhD in Cultural and Global Criminology (DCGC) from universities of Kent (UK) and Utrecht (NL) and a M.A. degree in Criminal Sciences from the Pontific Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS)

Portrait of Kennedy Manduna

Kennedy Manduna

Post-Doc Fellow

Kennedy Manduna is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow hosted by the Wits School of Governance (WSG) at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Portrait of Julieta Mira

Julieta Mira

Associate Fellow

Julieta Mira has devoted her academic career to studying and researching the central human rights issues of “ustice, memory, and truth.

Portrait of Boaventura Monjane

Boaventura Monjane

Associate Fellow

Boaventura Monjane holds a PhD on Postcolonialisms and Global Citizenship (Sociology), from the CES/Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra.

Portrait of Börries Nehe

Börries Nehe

Coordinator

Börries Nehe coordinates the International Research Group on Authoritarianism & Counter-Strategies.

Portrait of Fathima Nizaruddin

Fathima Nizaruddin

Associate Fellow

Fathima Nizaruddin is an academic and documentary filmmaker.

Portrait of Gustavo Robles

Gustavo Robles

Post-Doc Fellow

Gustavo Robles is an IRGAC Postdoc Fellow working on the subjective dimensions in the current phase of neoliberal governmentality.

Portrait of Erol Saglam

Erol Saglam

Associate Fellow

Erol Saglam is a social anthropologist working on reconfigurations of statecraft, its relation to the law, and the changing parameters of political subjectivity.

Portrait of Pedro Salgado

Pedro Salgado

Associate Fellow

Pedro Salgado is an International Relations scholar, working on the intersection between the fields of Historical Sociology and Global Political Economy.

Portrait of Ailynn Torres Santana

Ailynn Torres Santana

Associate Fellow

Ailynn Torres Santana is an associated researcher at the International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies.

Portrait of Sagorika Singha

Sagorika Singha

Post-Doc Fellow

Sagorika is a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Sarai Programme, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi as well as an affiliate at the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP), UNC, Chapel Hill

Portrait of Ülker Sözen

Ülker Sözen

Associate Fellow

Ülker Sözen received her PhD in Sociology from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Turkey in 2017.

Alexander Tushkin

Post-Doc Fellow

Alexander Tushkin is a Russian antifascist journalist and visiting researcher at HWR Berlin

Portrait of Verna Dinah Viajar

Verna Dinah Viajar

Associate Fellow

Verna Dinah Q. Viajar is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines, School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UP SOLAIR).

Portrait of Yunyun Zhou

Yunyun Zhou

Associate Fellow

Yunyun Zhou is an Associate Professor in Chinese Politics and Society at the University of Oslo.

Portrait of Himmat Zoubi

Himmat Zoubi

Associate Fellow

Himmat Zoubi (Zu’bi), is a Palestinian researcher and feminist activist. She received her PhD in Sociology from Ben-Gurion University and she holds two Master's degrees, one in Criminology and another in Gender Studies.

Alumni

Portrait of Ayşegül Can

Ayşegül Can

Alumni

Portrait of Hülya Dinçer

Hülya Dinçer

Alumni

Portrait of Saker El Nour

Saker El Nour

Alumni

Portrait of Sabrina Fernandes

Sabrina Fernandes

Alumni

Portrait of Gopal Krishna

Gopal Krishna

Alumni

Portrait of Khanyile Joseph Mlotshwa

Khanyile Joseph Mlotshwa

Alumni