Sean R. Roberts Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, George Washington University

Sean R. Roberts is a Professor in the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the  International Development Studies MA program at the George Washington University’s Elliott  School of International Affairs. Roberts is an anthropologist with regional expertise in Central  Asia, where he has also done extensive applied development work on issues related to civil society, governance, and human rights. Much of his academic work has focused on the Uyghur people in the People’s Republic of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as well as in  Central Asia and Turkey. His first book, The War on the Uyghurs: China’s Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority (Princeton University Press, September 2020) draws on his field research and in-depth interviews with Uyghurs. He also writes on issues related to politics and development in the broader Central Asian region. He frequently comments for media outlets on current events both in Central Asia and in the Uyghur region of China. Roberts earned his PhD from the University of Southern California.