Majed Akhter

Papers

Total Citations

135

H-Index

About

Majed Akhter is a critical geographer whose research lies at the intersection of political geography, geopolitics, and development, with a particular focus on South Asia. His work challenges conventional understandings of state power, territory, and violence. Akhter’s most-cited paper, “The Unbearable Humanness of Drone Warfare in FATA, Pakistan” (2011, 135 citations), offers a searing critique of US drone operations, providing detailed statistics on their scale and funding while exposing the dehumanizing logic that renders such violence acceptable. This work exemplifies his broader contribution: interrogating how infrastructures—from dams to drones—shape political life and sovereignty. Akhter’s scholarship is notable for its rigorous empirical grounding and its commitment to centering marginalized voices, particularly in the context of Pakistan’s borderlands. He has also made significant contributions to debates on the geopolitics of water and energy, exploring how large-scale development projects entrench inequality and conflict. Through his incisive analyses, Akhter has become a leading voice in critical geopolitics, demonstrating how seemingly technical or remote processes are deeply embedded in human lives and power relations.