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Ronnie CloseView profile

Associate Professor

• Photography
• Film and Media Studies
• Visual Culture Theory
• +5 more

Ronnie Close is an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at The American University in Cairo , where he examines the intersection of image aesthetics and politics through visual research projects and written publications. His work explores photographic cultures, football fan movements, and censorship practices in the Middle East. Photography and Decolonial Theory Soccer Culture and Political Resistance Visual Media Critique Image Censorship Mechanisms Close has published two monographs: Cairo's Ultras (2019) analyzing football fan roles in the Egyptian revolution, and Decolonizing the Image (2024) addressing photographic heritage in Egypt. His exhibitions include works at The Photographers Gallery (London) and Brighton Photo Biennial (UK). Academic collaborations span institutions like University of Bergamo and Kansas State University, with reviews in publications such as Visual Studies and Philosophy of Photography .

Mark W. DeetsView profile

Assistant Professor

• African Nationalism
• African Spatial History
• West Africa and the Atlantic World
• +1 more

Mark W. Deets is an Assistant Professor in the Sultan Al-Qasimi Department of History at The American University in Cairo. He specializes in social and cultural history of modern Africa, with a focus on the Senegambian region during the 19th and 20th centuries. His research explores socio-cultural mapping and counter-mapping in Senegal's Casamance conflict, drawing from his diplomatic experience in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde. Research Interests: African Nationalism, African Spatial History, West Africa and the Atlantic World, War and Conflict in Africa Additional Role: Francophone Book Review Editor for The Journal of West African History

David RaffertyView profile

Associate Professor

• Music Technology
• Composition
• Pedagogy
• +3 more

David Rafferty is an Associate Professor in the Department of the Arts at The American University in Cairo (AUC). He holds a PhD in Music from McGill University's Schulich School of Music, a Master of Music in Advanced Composition from the Royal College of Music (RCM), and a BA in Philosophy from Mount Allison University. Education Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy, Mount Allison University Master of Music - Advanced Composition, Royal College of Music (2009-2010) Doctor of Music, Schulich School of Music, McGill University (2013-2018) His research focuses on the intersection of technology and music practices, with specific interests in real-time performance, pedagogical strategies for music technology, spatialization in recording and performance, and audio signal processing. Scientific Awards Cobbett and Hurlestone Prize for Composition (RCM) Graduate Excellence Fellowship (McGill University) Rafferty has taught courses in Digital Composition, Advanced Digital Composition, and Video Production at McGill University. He collaborated with sound engineer George Massenburg to develop the Schulich School of Music's video production area.

• Economic Anthropology
• Political Anthropology
• Humanitarian Protection
• +6 more

Manuel Schwab is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology at the American University in Cairo. His research sits at the intersection of economic and political anthropology, examining how value is determined through humanitarian protection regimes and military practices. He holds a PhD from Columbia University and previously served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Makerere Institute for Social Research. Education: PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University His work analyzes objects, ideas, and bodies that shift in meaning across spatial and temporal contexts, particularly focusing on Sudanese economic subjectivities shaped by humanitarian aid and war-related violence. Schwab also explores themes of attention economies, affective redistribution, and asylum-seeking narratives through his research.