Dr Siavash Bakhtiar

Siavash Bakhtiar's profile photo

Lecturer

Humanities

Switchboard: +44 (0)20 7911 5000
309 Regent Street
London
GB
W1B 2HW
Connect with me

About me

I am currently a Lecturer in French Studies at the University of Westminster. Before joining Westminster in 2020, I was a Language Instructor at Queen Mary University of London, where I taught classes on different aspects of the French language at all undergraduate levels. I hold a PhD in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies from the University of Nottingham, where I was a Teaching Associate simultaneously in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and the Department of Media and Visual Studies.

I grew up in Brussels, where I have completed my BA  and MA in Modern Literatures and Languages at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. In 2013, I was granted a teaching qualification of agrégé de langues et lettres modernes from the same institution. In 2020, I have completed the ADEPT programme, which allowed me gaining fellowship with the Higher Education Academy. 

Teaching

I teach on French language and culture modules across all undergraduate levels and in Polylang, the university Open Language Programme. From 2020 to 2023, I was module leader of Grades 3, 4 and 5 modules in Polylang French. Since September 2023, I am the module leader of the 2nd year core module in French: Expressions of French Culture. 

Research

My research is interdisciplinary and technology oriented. I am interested in the non-human agents that constitute our everyday life. My PhD thesis aimed to establish a conversation between French philosopher Bruno Latour and the work of contemporary thinkers in order to articulate a critical theory about everyday life technologies. Therefore, I am interested in studying the agency of objects, from the toothbrush to the smartphone, and their participation in the way we communicate and constitute symbolic entities such as 'society,' 'culture,' 'class' and 'gender identities.' 

French Theory and Sociologies of Education are also important parts of my research interests and public engagement activities. 

Publications

For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.