We are SEPAD High impact, international research from academics and policy makers working in the field

Saudi and Iran: how our two countries could make peace and bring stability to the Middle Eas Eyad Alrefai - 19th Jun 2019

Relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic o...

SWAR project featuring SEPAD fellows publishes special issue on Sectarianism and Regime Formation Morten Valbjørn - 19th Apr 2019

Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, vol. 19, 1 (2019) - Specia...

Iranian revolution: world’s reactions show that, four decades on, tensions remain as high as ever Dr. Simon Mabon - 4th Mar 2019

The 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution in February 1...

What We Do

The Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project based at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute is a collaborative project aimed at understanding the conditions that give rise to sectarian violence and proxy conflicts.

Sepad Reports

SWAR project featuring SEPAD fellows publishes special issue on Sectarianism and Regime Formation

Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, vol. 19, 1 (2019) - Special Issue on ‘Sectarianism and Regime Formation in a New Middle East’ Guest edited by Raymond Hinnebusch and Morten Valbjørn

This special issue of Studies i...

The different risks of Saudi and Iranian aid to Lebanon

Lebanon is a battleground of Saudi-Iranian rivalry. Both provide aid. While Iranian aid to Hizballah creates a military fighting force, Saudi aid is notable for its economic impact. Iranian aid is already widely discussed¹ so this artic...

Studying sectarianism while beating dead horses and searching for third ways

A pivotal piece by our research fellow, Morten Valbjørn, which considers different ways of thinking about the future study of sectarianism. It discusses strategies beyond primordialism and instrumentalism, calling for a critical exploration of th...

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