Omar El Masri - Staff Profiles - University of Gloucestershire

Omar is a Lebanese and a US American political sociologist and conflict and peacebuilding scholar whose work examines the intersections of power, identity, culture, and arts-based practices in deeply divided societies and contested spaces.

Biography

Omar is a Lebanese and a US American political sociologist and conflict and peacebuilding scholar whose work examines the intersections of power, identity, culture, and arts-based practices in deeply divided societies and contested spaces. With lived experience across three continents, his research engages critically with issues such as state and non-state harm, neoliberal urban development, ethnonational violence, and the decolonisation of academic curricula in Criminology and Sociology.

Omar’s academic interests explore the intersection of power, identity, culture, and arts-based practices in deeply divided societies and spaces. His work delves into issues such as state (state co-offending) and non-state harm, neoliberal urban development, ethnonational violence, and decolonising the curriculum within Criminology and Sociology. He is particularly interested in using participatory methodologies to foster collaboration and address epistemic injustices and the impact of coloniality on knowledge production.

Omar’s research has been published in academic journals, book chapters and websites, presented at prestigious conferences like the British Sociological Association, European Criminological Society, and British International Studies Association, and featured in documentaries such as WonderWalls on RTE, highlighting his dedication to bridging academic scholarship with broader societal impact.

His current research examines how participatory and co-generated storytelling between humans and AI can enhance creative expression, address sociotechnical asymmetries, and better integrate localised identities through innovative narrative practices.

Qualifications

PhD, “Re-Imagining Spaces for Representation in the Divided City: The Cases of Urban Street Art in ‘Post’-Conflict Cities of Beirut and Belfast”, Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University, 2020
MPhil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, 2016
MSc in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, 2012
BS Economics, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon, 2004
BA Political Science, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2003

Teaching & Research

Teaching

NS4404 Global Challenges
NS5501 Crime and Society: Theorising Crime
NS6414: Space, Place, and Communities
NS7529: Post-Conflict Societies

Research

Ongoing Research Projects:

– Decolonising the curriculum: An automated comparative analysis of the School of Business, Computing & Social Science’s selected teaching material (2024)
– AI and the Art of Local Storytelling: Bridging Gaps in Identity Representation through Multimodal Narratives (2024-2025)

Research Interests:

1. Power and Identity in Divided Societies – Exploring how power dynamics and identity shape conflicts and social divisions.
2. Culture and Arts-Based Practices – Investigating the role of cultural and artistic expressions in peacebuilding and community transformation.
3. State and Non-State Harm – Analysing harm perpetrated by governmental and non-governmental actors, particularly in conflict and post-conflict contexts.
4. Neoliberal Urban Development – Examining neoliberal urban policies’ social and political impacts, particularly in divided or contested spaces.
5. Ethnonational Violence – Studying the causes and consequences of violence rooted in ethnic and national identities.
6. Decolonising the Curriculum – Engaging with efforts to challenge and transform colonial and Eurocentric legacies in academic disciplines, especially Criminology and Sociology.
7. Participatory Methodologies – Utilising collaborative and inclusive research methods to address epistemic injustices and promote equitable knowledge production.
8. Colonial and Neocolonial Legacies – Critically assessing colonialism and neocolonialism’s historical and contemporary influences on conflict, human rights, and social justice.

Publications

More publications from Dr Omar El Masri can be found in the Research Repository.

Subject Areas

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