Shiva Oskui

PhD student at the Chair of Sociology, in particular Political Sociology (Extern)

Shiva Oskui

Research project

Interaction Analysis of Police-Citizen Interactions

The project analyses police-citizen encounters in the US with a focus on the use of force and de-escalation measures. While structural and social factors are important elements in the analysis of the use of force, empirical research on its explanation still remains largely inconclusive. This puzzle is the starting point of the project’s enquiry into the micro-situational dynamics and origins of the use of force in a policing context. The project aims to go beyond social and structural factors for understanding the use of force by analysing the situational dynamics of police-civilian encounters. The study analyses video data obtained by body worn cameras (BWCs) deployed by US police departments. The research’s empirical findings aim to add new knowledge to the body of interaction research literature, and to inform de-escalation measures and policies.

Curriculum Vitae

Short Vita

Since 2023 Research Associate at the Chair of Sociology, especially Political Sociology, Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, University of Erfurt

2020-2023 Master’s degree “International Relations” (1,0), Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität, University of Potsdam 

2014 Master’s degree in “Broadcast Journalism” (Merit), University of Sheffield, England, UK

2012 Bachelor’s degree in “International Politics”, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK 

Research focus

Research focus

State and police

Interaction research in policing (use of force and deescalation)

Qualitative methods (video data analysis) & empirical social research methods