Interviewed by Larbi Sadiki and Layla Saleh. In this interview, he explains how his personal background has informed his research trajectory. Asef Bayat is Professor of Sociology and Catherine & Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. To read the complete interview please follow the link: https://brill.com/view/journals/prot/2/1/article-p137_008.xml?language=en&ebody=abstract%2Fexcerpt