Ida Nikou, PhD

Welcome! My name is Ida Nikou. I'm a sociologist, writer, and political activist working at the intersection of political economy, labor relations, and social movements. My research asks how labor regimes are remade under geopolitical pressure such as sanctions, militarized regional conflict, and global financial exclusion, and how these pressures reorganize internal governance, capital accumulation, and class relations. I use Iran as a core case to theorize accumulation under constraint and to understand how external restrictions become domestic modes of rule, how scarcity is governed, how financialized strategies of survival and profit take shape, and how the costs of crisis are displaced onto workers and households.

I hod a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stony Brook University (SUNY). My dissertation examines how Iran’s working class resists, negotiates, and subverts the intertwined pressures of neoliberal restructuring and authoritarianism. I show how these forces reorganize workplaces, reshape labor control, and condition what kinds of worker organization become possible. This project received the Judith Tanur Award in recognition of its originality and scholarly contribution.

My current research traces the mechanisms through which sanctions-era crisis is internalized in economic governance and firm behavior, and how this remakes labor power across sectors. I focus on how financialized accumulation and scarcity governance operate through procurement and settlement constraints, foreign-exchange volatility, and rents tied to privileged access, and how these dynamics translate into workplace discipline through wage arrears, subcontracting, selective recall, and coercive enforcement. Methodologically, I combine digital ethnography, content and event analysis, and quantitative analysis using data from the IMF, the World Bank, and the Statistical Center of Iran. I received the European Commission Seal of Excellence (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF) for this research. 

Over the past few years, I've taught a variety of subjects both in person and online. My teaching approach focuses on connecting course material to students' real-life experiences, addressing current social issues, and encouraging them to rethink their perspectives. By working with esteemed educators, I've refined my teaching methods, incorporating diverse styles and assessment techniques to promote critical thinking in an engaging and supportive classroom environment.

In 2022, I was honored with the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student, recognizing my dedication to providing exceptional learning experiences. My students consistently give positive feedback, highlighting the value of their course experiences. As a result, my courses have become highly sought after, often leading to long wait lists due to student recommendations.

List of courses I have taught:

- Soc 361 Historical Development of Social Theory

- Soc 309 Social Conflicts and Movements

- Soc 337 Social Deviance

- Soc 338 Sociology of Crime

- Soc 105 Introduction to Sociology

- Soc 315 Sociology of Technology