Martin Francisco Saps is a PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geography at King's College London.

Martin is an urbanist whose work explores the intersection of global politics, religion, and everyday urban life. Martin holds an MSc in Urban Planning from the London School of Economics and a BA in Politics from Bates College. Academically, has published in Urban Studies, Cultural Geography, and Political Geography and serves as Social Media editor of Urban Geography Journal. He has also contributed essays and reportage on urban politics, religion, and migration for Vittles, Vashti, and The Wick. Beyond his research and writing, Martin has worked in marketing and technology, advising startups on content strategy and communication.

Research

Thesis title: 'Stamford Hill: Property, Technology, and the Making of Urban Religious Life'

This research analyses how the the Hasidic Jewish community of Stamford Hill, London, particularly the younger generation, navigate the pressures of social media, gentrification, and a decline in communal leadership. It intervenes in the urban studies literature by challenging the liberal assumptions in discourses around conviviality, everyday multiculturalism, and superdiversity, looking at this community as one that consciously eschews social mixing and individualist politics. Through flashpoints around housing extensions, traffic regulations, and shopping malls, it examines how these communities strategically engage with the modern state, urban governance, and neighboring groups while staying outside of dominant ideologies or liberal norms.

Research interests

• Urban Studies
• Diaspora and Migration
• Digital Geographies
• Ethnographic Research Methods
• Intergroup Encounters
• Gentrification
• Palestine/Israel and anti-Zionism

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Professor Phil Hubbard
• Secondary supervisor: Professor Adam Sutcliffe

Further details

See Martin's research profile