Bart Klem
Bart Klem is Professor of Conflict, Politics and Sovereignty at Ghent University. His work mainly focuses on Sri Lanka and Cyprus. He currently leads a research project (2025-2030) on the performative repertoires of separatist politics in democratic arenas. The core case studies are Catalonia, Kurdistan (mainly Rojava) and the Tamil nationalist movement in Sri Lanka. The project is funded by a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. Klem completed a PhD in Political Geography (on postwar transition in Eastern Sri Lanka) at the University of Zurich in 2012. Before joining UGhent, he worked at the School of Global Studies, Gothenburg University, School of Social Political
Sciences at Melbourne University and at the Political Geography section at the University of Zurich.
New Publication: Legalizing Oneself: Citizenship, Waiting, and Fake Fakeness in Northern Cyprus
This article contributes to the anthropological scholarship on citizenship and unrecognized states by analyzing how people grapple with the convoluted legal landscape of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
SOVEREIGN PERFORMANCE Website Launched
Sovereign Performance is a research project focused on the political repertoires of democratic movements that strive for independence or autonomy.
Call for Submissions: Sri Lanka Roundtable 2026
We are pleased to announce the next “Sri Lanka Roundtable” on 6 and 7 May 2026 in Ghent, Belgium.
Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Position on Performative Politics in Catalonia
The present position focuses on the Catalonian independence movement
Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Position on Performative Politics in Kurdistan
The present position focuses on the autonomous region in Northeast Syria known as Rojava (and Kurdistan more widely).
The politics of aspiring sovereignty: Understanding separatist politics from a performative perspective
This project investigates civilian participation in wartime violence and reflects on the methodological and ethical challenges of using archives of non-state armed actors.
Current research projects:
Call for Submissions: Sri Lanka Roundtable 2026
We are pleased to announce the next “Sri Lanka Roundtable” on 6 and 7 May 2026 in Ghent, Belgium.
Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Position on Performative Politics in Catalonia
The present position focuses on the Catalonian independence movement
Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Position on Performative Politics in Kurdistan
The present position focuses on the autonomous region in Northeast Syria known as Rojava (and Kurdistan more widely).
The politics of aspiring sovereignty: Understanding separatist politics from a performative perspective
This project investigates civilian participation in wartime violence and reflects on the methodological and ethical challenges of using archives of non-state armed actors.