Brian Larkin

Brian Larkin is a Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University, and Co-Director of the Center for Comparative Media. His research focuses on media technologies in Nigeria, examining how cinema, radio, and digital media shape religious, political, and cultural dynamics. He holds affiliations with the Africana Studies program and the Human Rights Office at Columbia.

He earned his PhD in Anthropology from New York University. His work explores media infrastructures, urban culture, and the intersections of technology with religion and modernity. Key themes include piracy, intellectual property, and the role of media in Islamic revival movements.

Recent publications analyze media’s impact on religious movements, infrastructure theory, and cultural circulation. He co-directs the Comparative Media Initiative and sits on boards for the Institute for African Studies and the Buell Center for Architecture Studies. His forthcoming book, *Secular Machines*, examines media’s role in Nigeria’s Islamic movements.

He advises graduate students and leads academic initiatives bridging media anthropology, technology studies, and global cultural analysis. His work is widely cited, reflecting contributions to media theory and African studies.