HABIB MOGHIMI
VISUAL THINKER.
FILM ANALYST.
CULTURAL CRITIC.
A dedicated scholar exploring the intersection of film, culture, and society, with a passion for visual storytelling and critical analysis.
BIOGRAPHY
I am a media sociologist specializing in public sociology, visual sociology, and digital cultures, with a particular focus on Iranian cinema. My interdisciplinary research explores the intersection of film, sociology, and everyday life, using sociological theory and creative methodologies to analyze visual media. As an Associate Editor for Global Iranian Studies Review and the Media Thematic Group Convenor for the Australian Sociological Association (TASA), I actively contribute to shaping academic discourse in these areas. Since 2018, I have been an academic at the University of Sydney, where I actively bridge theoretical insights with creative practice in my courses on media and sociology.
As a dedicated higher education educator and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), I am committed to excellence in teaching, academic mentorship, and fostering transformative learning experiences. In my role as a Student Success Advisor at the University of Sydney, I support students in navigating their academic journeys, helping them achieve their goals with confidence and clarity.
My expertise extends to mentoring educators and advancing pedagogical practices as an Accredited Assessor & Mentor for AFHEA and FHEA through the 2024 Sydney Educational Fellowship Program . I have guided numerous educators in their professional growth, promoting innovative and impactful teaching.
These contributions have been recognized through institutional awards, including the Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Tutorials with Distinction (University of Sydney, 2022) and the Faculty of Science Learning and Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching (University of Sydney, 2022), highlighting my ongoing commitment to enhancing education and fostering student success.
As an interdisciplinary researcher , my work resides at the intersection of sociology, media, and film, with a focus on public sociology. I explore how visual media, particularly cinema, constructs everyday life, using sociological theory and creative methodologies to analyze both the content and form of visual representations. This approach has allowed me to work in both academic and creative spaces, applying sociological theory to the practice of sociological filmmaking and drawing on public sociology principles to create visual narratives that reflect the sociological imagination. I aim to bridge the gap between macro-sociological and micro-sociological approaches, offering new insights into the lived experiences of individuals within complex social structures .
I am a sociologist with a passion for exploring the intersections of media, culture, and everyday life. My academic journey began with my master’s dissertation, which focused on the idea of creating sociological films through the lens of public sociology, emphasizing the technical aspects of such filmmaking. Building on this foundation, my PhD research connected critical theories of everyday life—drawing from Henri Lefebvre and Georg Simmel—with Laclau and Mouffe’s critical discourse analysis. This work explored the role of affect in the construction of identities in Iranian cinema, examining how emotional and sensory experiences are mobilized to shape urban daily life. My publications reflect my diverse interests: from reviewing scholarship in Iranian studies to authoring theory-based papers and teaching blogs. I am particularly focused on the role of visual materials in academia, advocating for filmmaking as a tool for sociological inquiry and using visuals to enhance teaching and research practices in sociology.
I am a media sociologist and filmmaker with extensive experience in both academia and the film industry. My career spans a range of creative and scholarly pursuits, from directing and producing documentaries to contributing to film festivals. As a member of the selection committee for the COVIDeo-19 Film Festival in 2021, I evaluated films that explored the impact of the pandemic on higher education students. Earlier in my career, I worked as the local producer for six short films directed by Abbas Kiarostami’s best international students in Tehran, produced for the Fajr International Film Festival in 2015. My experience also includes film editing using Adobe Premiere for various studios, working with national TV in Iran between 2011 and 2014.
