معرفی
Jesse Drew is Professor of Cinema and Digital Media at the University of California, Davis, where he teaches media archaeology, radio production, documentary studies, electronics for artists, and community media. Previously, he served as Associate Dean and headed the Center for Digital Media at the San Francisco Art Institute and has taught at San Francisco State University, University of Texas at Austin, and other institutions.
Dr. Drew earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and has built an academic career deeply informed by his earlier experiences as a community organizer for the United Farm Workers Union and industrial worker in various manufacturing plants. His work bridges academic scholarship with hands-on media production and activism.
His research and creative practice centers on alternative and community media and their impact on democratic societies, with particular emphasis on the global working class. He approaches media studies from the unique perspective of someone who has worked on factory assembly lines, giving him distinctive insights into the relationship between technology, labor, and power structures. His current documentary project, Open Country, explores the politics of American country music, which he co-created with his wife Glenda Drew.
His scholarly work shows consistent focus on media democracy, labor movements, and alternative communication networks. Over the past three decades, his publications have traced the evolution of alternative media from camcorders and pirate radio to digital networks, consistently examining how marginalized communities use media technologies for social change. His recent book, A Social History of Contemporary Democratic Media (Routledge), synthesizes much of his lifelong research.
- Goldie Award from San Francisco Bay Guardian (1994) for community media work
- Active role in establishing KDRT (Davis Community Radio)
- International exhibition of audio-visual work at ZKM (Germany), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and other major venues
- Director of Technocultural Studies at UC Davis
Drew's teaching and mentorship emphasize the intersection of technical media production skills with critical theory and social justice. His background as both an industrial worker and media practitioner informs his approach to educating students about the political dimensions of media creation. He has been instrumental in developing interdisciplinary programs that connect media studies with labor history, social movements, and technological development.
