.webp)
About
Joshua Synenko is Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Cultural Studies Department at Trent University. He holds a BA from York University, an MA from Western University, and a PhD from York University. His academic appointments include serving as Co-Editor of Media Theory, an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal, and as Corresponding Editor for Canadian Review in Comparative Literature. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Canadian Association of Cultural Studies.
Dr. Synenko's research is situated between media and geography, exploring relationships between cities and mobility (migration, displacement, settlement), cinema and geography, and exchanges between practice-based research and artistic research. His work spans multiple disciplines including media studies, cultural geography, visual culture, and social and political thought, with particular attention to how spatial concepts interact with media forms and cultural production.
His recent publication record shows consistent scholarly output across multiple venues, with significant contributions in 2023-2025. His work demonstrates a trajectory moving from studies of digital archives and cinematic representation toward more contemporary analyses of labor in media, research methodologies, and political interventions in educational policy. The breadth of his publications across journals like Media Theory, Imaginations, and Popular Communication reflects his interdisciplinary approach.
As Graduate Program Director for Cultural Studies MA and PhD programs at Trent University, Dr. Synenko supervises students pursuing research in cinema studies, media theory, social and political thought, and visual culture. His editorial work on special issues such as 'Violent Labour and Media' (2025) and 'A Research-creation Episteme?' (2024) demonstrates his commitment to advancing scholarly conversations in his fields of expertise. His forthcoming book 'Experimental Technologies: Reframing Locative Media's Artistic Past' (Concordia University Press) further extends his research into the historical dimensions of spatial media practices.
