Gholam Khiabany

Gholam Khiabany is a Reader in Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, within the Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies (MCCS). His academic career spans over two decades with significant contributions to the understanding of media, politics, and cultural practices, particularly in relation to the Middle East. He serves as an editor of the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication and is a member of the council of management of the Institute of Race Relations.

Khiabany's research interests center on the complex relationship between citizenship, political activism, and media and cultural practices. His work critically examines media representation of race, migration, and refugees, with particular attention to anti-Muslim racism and the culturalization of terror. He has extensively studied political communication in Iran and the broader Middle East, analyzing how digital media transforms political engagement in authoritarian contexts. His scholarship also addresses the rise of the security state, multiculturalism debates, and the political economy of media in neoliberal times.

His scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with contemporary political issues through a critical media studies lens. Recent publications reveal a growing focus on migration securitization, citizenship rights, and the marketization of higher education. His work consistently bridges theoretical rigor with urgent political questions, particularly regarding racialized politics and state power. Khiabany frequently collaborates with scholars like Milly Williamson, Natalie Fenton, and Des Freedman, reflecting his commitment to collective scholarly work.

Khiabany has authored influential books including Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity (2009), Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran (2010, co-authored with Annabelle Sreberny), and Media, Democracy and Social Change: Re-imagining Political Communications (2020). He has also co-edited significant volumes such as After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech (2017) and The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East (2023).

His academic work consistently addresses issues of power, representation, and resistance, with particular attention to how marginalized communities navigate media landscapes. Khiabany's research has evolved to increasingly focus on the intersection of migration politics, security discourses, and racialized state power, while maintaining his foundational interest in Middle Eastern media politics and alternative communication practices.