Résumé

ALI RIDHA KHAN

aliridha17@gmail.com | LinkedIn

PROFILE

I am an academic, author, and creative leader with over five years of experience spanning research, communications, community building, and strategic partnership management within higher education and cultural sectors. My work bridges arts, film, humanities, and digital technologies, with a proven record of leading international collaborations and curating innovative media and research projects.

In addition to my scholarly work, I have professional expertise in anti-money laundering compliance, specializing in remediation and regulatory adherence within financial institutions. As an academic and writer, I am the author of The Ledger and the Body: On Exhaustion, Purpose, and Refusal, and the forthcoming completed manuscripts Ungovernable Joy: Political Happiness in the Postcolonial City and The Problem of Stupidity: Bêtise, Empire, and the Political Condition of Our Age. Quoted by The Economist, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective that connects cultural theory, politics, and aesthetics. Passionate about mentorship, I have guided numerous students and colleagues, aligning intellectual vision with tangible outcomes to foster creative and scholarly growth.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Anti-Money Laundering: Remediation, Old Mutual Limited

Cape Town | Apr 2025 – Dec 2025

Responsibilities

• Led KYC remediation across corporate, trust, and retirement fund client segments, ensuring compliance with FICA, FATF, and internal policies.

• Performed risk assessments and EDD for high-risk clients, including PEPs and entities in high-risk jurisdictions.

• Reviewed and analysed transactions to detect suspicious activity, escalating potential money laundering risks to the Financial Crime Compliance team.

• Maintained data integrity by updating internal systems, ensuring audit-ready documentation, and liaising with IT to resolve data issues.

• Engaged stakeholders and supported training, contributing to internal process improvements and regulatory audit readiness.

Primary Editor and Convenor, Centre for Humanities Research

Cape Town | Jan 2023 — Dec 2024

Responsibilities

• Co-edited and convened the forthcoming volume “Black Radical Thought and Neoliberalism,” overseeing editorial strategy, contributor coordination, and thematic development as committee chair.

Farm Manager, Az-Zahra Garden

Cape Town | Jan 2021 — Mar 2025

Responsibilities

• Cultivated and maintained a thriving orchard of over 80 fruit trees, ensuring optimal growth through strategic irrigation, soil management, and pruning practices.

• Managed raised plant beds from seed to harvest, overseeing planting, weeding, and sustainable crop rotation to maximize yield.

• Implemented integrated pest management techniques to protect crops and promote ecological balance.

• Oversaw harvesting, storage, and distribution of produce for both commercial sale and community-based charitable initiatives.

• Maintained farm infrastructure and equipment, ensuring operational efficiency and safety.

• Recorded and analysed data on crop yields, expenses, and income to support financial planning and sustainable resource allocation.

Head of Communications, Az-Zahra Garden

Cape Town | Jan 2021 — Mar 2025

Role Responsibilities:

• Developed and implemented comprehensive communication strategies to strengthen Az-Zahra Garden’s community and stakeholder relationships.

• Managed outreach initiatives, public messaging, and digital engagement to enhance the organization’s visibility and community impact.

• Coordinated events, press releases, and social media campaigns to promote sustainability and local partnerships.

Digital Editor and Curator, Centre for Humanities Research

Cape Town, South Africa | Apr 2022 — Dec 2022

Role Responsibilities:

• Facilitated collaboration between international and national partners to advance CHR’s research and public engagement initiatives.

• Curated digital content and coordinated online exhibitions showcasing CHR’s interdisciplinary work.

• Oversaw public relations efforts to enhance CHR’s profile across academic and cultural networks.

• Managed website and social media platforms, editing and refining copy to maintain a consistent voice and professional tone.

• Led graphic design and brand communication, ensuring CHR’s visual identity reflected its intellectual and creative ethos.

• Directed technology-driven project management connecting humanities research with documentary film, festivals, and performing arts.

• Maintained and developed CHR’s digital archive to ensure accessibility and long-term preservation of materials.

Coordinator, Southern African–Nordic Centre (SANORD)

Cape Town, South Africa | Jan 2022 — May 2022

Role Responsibilities:

• Managed SANORD’s website and social media platforms, ensuring cohesive branding and active engagement across all channels.

• Conducted detailed copy-editing for official reports, publications, and event materials.

• Facilitated collaboration between over 50 international and domestic partner institutions to strengthen academic and cultural exchange.

• Led design strategy and visual communication to enhance SANORD’s public image and outreach.

• Coordinated cross-departmental projects with UWC’s International Relations Office and supported initiatives with the Confucius Institute.

• Maintained and organized SANORD’s digital archive, improving accessibility and information management.

• Planned and executed conferences, producing post-event summaries and institutional reports.

Researcher, Uhuru Productions

Cape Town, South Africa | Sep 2021 — Dec 2021

Role Responsibilities:

• Engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including documentary film participants, politicians, and business leaders, to support research and production objectives.

• Served as the technical lead overseeing equipment setup, data handling, and digital workflows.

• Conducted in-depth research to inform documentary narratives and contextual analysis.

• Operated cameras and supported on-site production logistics.

• Maintained and organized the project’s digital archive for accuracy and accessibility.

Social Media and Website Manager, Centre for Humanities Research

Cape Town, South Africa | Jan 2020 — Dec 2021

Role Responsibilities:

• Managed CHR’s social media and website, maintaining consistent messaging and audience engagement across platforms.

• Planned and hosted a series of international webinars, featuring leading thinkers and artists from the Global South and North.

• Directed public relations efforts to enhance CHR’s visibility and partnerships.

• Edited and refined academic, promotional, and institutional communications for clarity and impact.

• Supervised over 40 student fellows and 20 staff members, ensuring effective collaboration and workflow management.

• Strengthened stakeholder relationships between international and domestic partners through coordinated communication and joint initiatives.

• Led graphic design and branding strategy to effectively represent CHR’s vision and intellectual identity.

• Oversaw technology-driven project coordination across humanities research, documentary film, and performance-based projects.

• Curated and maintained CHR’s digital archive, ensuring long-term accessibility and preservation of key institutional materials.

Director, Drommedaris Creatives’

Cape Town | Jan 2019 — Dec 2019

Role Responsibilities:

• Provided overall strategic direction for the organization, defining its mission, vision, and creative objectives.

• Oversaw stakeholder relations, staff management, and budgeting to ensure operational efficiency and sustainability.

• Directed and produced the documentary Voting Blind, guiding all stages from research and filming to post-production.

• Led research efforts to support creative development and strengthen narrative authenticity.

Huffington Post Contributor, HuffPost

Remote | Jan 2017 — Jan 2020

Contributed in-depth political commentary and analysis on South African domestic affairs, providing critical insights into governance, policy, and socio-political developments.

Political Studies Tutor, University of the Western Cape (UWC)

Cape Town, South Africa | Jan 2018 — Dec 2019

Responsibilities:

• Delivered tutorials and lectures in African Political Thought for second- and third-year students, fostering critical engagement with decolonial, postcolonial, and continental political theory.

• Designed and presented course content for advanced Political Thought modules, integrating key theoretical frameworks and facilitating analytical discussions.

EDUCATION

• University of Leeds — PhD (School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies) Focus: Laughter, Psychoanalysis and Political Theatre (Proposal Approved – placed as top three strongest proposal for 2026 – Completion 2029)

• University of the Western Cape — Master of Arts (Political Studies) Focus: The politics of happiness, aesthetics, emotion, and the everyday.

• University of the Western Cape — Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Political Studies Focus: Security Studies and Political Violence.

• University of the Western Cape — Bachelor of Arts Majors: Political Studies, Sociology, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies.

FELLOWSHIPS, ACHIEVEMENTS & HONOUR SOCIETIES

• CHR NIHSS Masters Fellowship (Jan 2021 — Dec 2021) National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS).

• Rhodes Scholarship Finalist (2021) — Rhodes Trust.

• Andrew W. Mellon CHR Flagship Masters Fellowship (2020) — Centre for Humanities Research.

• Mandela Rhodes Scholarship Finalist (2019) — Mandela Rhodes Foundation.

• Andrew W. Mellon CHR Flagship Masters Fellowship (2019) — CHR, UWC.

• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow-Graduate Initiative Program (SSRC-MMGIP) — Social Science Research Council (SSRC).

• Andrew W. Mellon CHR Flagship Honours Fellowship (2018) — CHR, UWC.

• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow (MMUF) (Apr 2017 — Dec 2018) — University of the Western Cape.

• Golden Key Honours Society (Jan 2016 — Dec 2019) — University of the Western Cape.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

• Khan, A.R. The Ledger and the Body: On Exhaustion, Purpose and Refusal. Amazon KDP. ISBN 979-8272712691. (2025)

• Khan, A.R. Ungovernable Joy: Political Happiness in the Postcolonial City. (submitted to HSRC Press for Review)

• Khan, A.R. The Problem of Stupidity: Bêtise, Empire, and the Political Condition of Our Age . (submitted to HSRC Press for Review)

• Khan, A.R. ‘Can’t You Read’: Traditions of Anti-Coloniality and Black Consciousness. (forthcoming)

• Khan, A.R. On Colonial Imaginary: Revisiting ‘The Prince’ (forthcoming)

BOOK CHAPTERS

Khan, A.R. (expected 2026). Rage as Affective Refusal: Punk, Resistance, and Diasporic Sonic in Critical Affect Studies in the Global South. Manchester University Press.

Khan, A.R. (2023). Not Muslim, Bad Muslim in Striving for Social Equity. Karavan Press. Watson. J. O. Nzwezi. Striving for Social Equity. (2023). Karavan Press. Karavan Press

JOURNAL ARTICLES

• Khan, A.R. The Problem of Stupidity: Trump’s Second Term, Conservative Imperialism and White Victimhood in South Africa. Safundi. (expected 2026)

• Khan, A.R. The Liberal Arts and Its Limits: Between Humanistic Aspiration and Institutional Stasis. American Comparative Literature Association (expected 2026)

• Khan, A. R. Clouds of Conflict: Advanced AI and Cloud Computing in Israeli Military Operations. (expected 2026)

• Khan, A.R. Occupation in Focus: India, Kashmir, and the Global Crisis of Legitimacy. (expected 2026)

• Khan, A.R. Khan. On the Right Side of History: The Global Ascendancy of the Right and the Left’s Existential Crisis. (expected 2026)

• Khan, A. R. The Problem of Stupidity. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.26331.84009. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (2025)

• Khan, C.D. Khan, A.R. Undignified Democracy. (2025)

• Khan, A.R. Rage as Affective Refusal: Punk, Resistance, and Diasporic Sonic Dissent. ResearchGate. (2025). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30286.32327. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

• Khan, A.R. They Don’t Make Fascists Like They Used To. ResearchGate. (2025). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13509.10728. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

• Khan, A.R.The Unquiet Dead: Sudan’s War and the Empire of Indifference. ResearchGate. (2025). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23575.43683. License: CC BY-NC 4.0.

• Khan, A.R. Surrealism 2025: A Manifesto for the Revolutionary Imagination. ResearchGate. (2025). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26930.88000. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

OP-ED’s

• Khan, A.R. (2026, March 8). SA applying legal scrutiny to Iran but not the strikes that started the war. Daily Maverick.

• Khan, A.R. (2026, March 6). It’s not right — Liberal moral confusion is destroying the Left from the inside. Daily Maverick.

• Khan, A.R. (2026, March 3). Iran war forces Gulf states into a strategic rethink about hosting US bases. Daily Maverick.

• Khan, A.R. (2026, January 11). Venezuela’s US-sponsored crisis: A test of global sovereignty. Cape Times.

• Khan, A.R. (2026, January 26). Iran in the grip of double violence: Trapped between repression and sanctions. Cape Times.

• Khan, A.R., & Reed, J. (2026, January 29). Zohran Mamdani and the sorcery of soft rebellion: The limits of left power inside the Democratic machine. Scalawag Magazine.

• Khan, A. R. (2025) When Solidarity Becomes Spectacle. Africa Is a Country. Khan, A. R. (2025, November 7). Sudan mirrors politics of grievability. Cape Times.

• Khan, A. R. (2025). How South Africans reproduce apartheid’s most dangerous habit. Cape Times.

• Khan, A. R. (2025). The collapse of precision warfare: Iran’s role in the struggle for dignity. Cape Times.

• Khan, A. R. (2025). Rage as Refusal: What punk can teach SA about resisting polite authoritarianism. Zabalaza for Socialism.

• Khan, A.R. (2025) An Undignified Democracy. Africa Is a Country Additionally circulated by Duke University’s Department of Global Black Studies.

• Khan. A. R. (2025). ‘The Problem of Stupidity’. Mail and Guardian

• Khan, A.R. (2025). The Collapse of Precision Warfare: Iran’s Role in the Struggle for Dignity. The Cape Times

• Khan, A.R. (2025). Echo Chamber of Power: Trump’s Perilous Pursuit of ‘White Manhood’. Mail and Guardian

• Khan, A.R. (2025). South Africa Has an Undignified Democracy. Mail and Guardian

• Khan, A.R. (2025). After the White Smoke: What the Pope’s Death Means in a World on Fire. Mail and Guardian

• Khan, A.R. (2025). Tony Leon’s Track Record Dispels DA’s Narrative of “Skilled Diplomat”. The Cape Times

• Khan, A.R. (2025). Why Appointing Tony Leon Would Be a Slap in the Face of the Poor. The Cape Times

• Khan, A.R. (2025). How the US Has Eroded Its Moral Authority in Africa. The Cape Times

• Khan. A. R. (2025). Land and Dignity: A Global Reflection Anchored in Palestine. Mail and Guardian Khan, A. R. (2021). On Joy. Editorial Note. ODD Magazine

• Khan, A. R. (2018). Israel’s War On Children. Huffington Post

• Khan, A. R. (2017). The Political Home Of The Left — Or The Left Behind. Huffington Post

• Khan, A.R. (2017). The Current #EduCrisisForum And How Students Unite But T-Shirts Divide. Huffington Post

• Khan, A. R. (2017). Mmusi Maimane Spat On The Palestinian Cause By Visiting Israel. Huffington Post

FILMS

• Khan, A. R. (2019). Voting Blind. Drommedaris Creatives. Voting Blind Documentary

• Khan, A. R. Khan, T. The Athens Group. (forthcoming)

• Khan, A. R. Khan, T. Mum’s Dad. (forthcoming)

LANGUAGES

• English — Native speaker

• Afrikaans — Very good command

• Arabic — Very good command

• French - Limited working proficiency

• German - Limited working proficiency