معرفی
Dr. Koen Leurs serves as an Associate Professor in Gender, Media and Migration Studies at the Graduate Gender Program, Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University, Netherlands. His research centers on digital migration studies, examining how digital technologies intersect with migration experiences, particularly focusing on gender dynamics, youth cultures, and datafication processes. Leurs has established himself as a leading scholar through influential publications including Digital Migration (Sage, 2023) and Doing Digital Migration Studies (Amsterdam University Press, 2024), with his current work focusing on Inclusive Media Education: Critical Media Literacies for Diverse Societies for Routledge.
Leurs' research interests span migration studies, digital technology, gender, and youth cultures, with particular attention to how digital platforms shape migrant experiences. His work critically examines both the empowering potential and discriminatory aspects of digital technologies in migration contexts, investigating how migrants use digital tools to connect, resist, and create new forms of belonging while navigating surveillance, datafication, and border control systems. Recent projects have increasingly focused on the ethical implications of digital technologies in asylum procedures and migration management.
His scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of migration, digital technology, and social justice. Leurs' work demonstrates growing attention to the material consequences of digital migration studies, particularly regarding mobile phone screening in asylum processes, the datafication of migration pathways, and how digital platforms shape the experiences of migrant women and domestic workers. His research combines theoretical innovation with practical engagement, often employing participatory methods that involve migrant communities in knowledge production.
- Principal Investigator for Co-designing a fair digital asylum procedure (2022-2023), funded by Digital Society program and COMMIT/
- Principal Investigator for Young Connected Migrants (2016-2019), funded by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
- Principal Investigator for Media literacy through Making Media (2017-2019), funded by Dutch National Research Agenda
- Current member of Management Committee for COST Action DATA-MIG CA22135 on European Migration and Border Control
- Former chair of European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Diaspora, Migration and the Media section (2016-2021)
Leurs' research is situated within Utrecht University's strategic themes including Dynamics of Youth (DoY), Governing the Digital Society, and Institutions for Open Societies (IOS), with particular alignment with the IOS focus on Gender, Diversity and Global Justice. His collaborative work spans international institutions including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, Charles University, and University of Groningen, reflecting the transnational nature of his research on digital migration.
