In this episode, Anne Kirstine speaks with Simon Mabon about the privileges that come with his positionality and how he, as an outsider, builds trustful and ethical relations with his interlocutors. Simon also shares his thoughts on the role of positionality in teaching and supervision of students.

Simon is Chair in International Politics at Lancaster University and co-director of the Richardson Institute. His work focuses on sovereignty, sectarianism and regional order in the Middle East, and his recent book, The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East: The Rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran was published earlier this year.