Sulafa Zidani

Sulafa Zidani is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University's School of Communication. She also holds an affiliation with Northwestern Qatar's Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor of Global Civic Media at MIT. Her research focuses on internet cultures in the Global South, transnational youth strategies, and digital activism across geopolitical contexts. She is affiliated with critical internet studies, global communication, and media cultures in the Global South.

Education:

• B.A. (Dual-Major) in Asia Studies and Communication and Journalism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2009)
• M.A. in Asia Studies and Communication and Journalism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2015)
• M.A. in Communication, University of Southern California Annenberg School (2019)
• Ph.D. in Communication, University of Southern California Annenberg School (2021)

Research Interests:

• Internet cultures in the Global South
• Transnational youth digital strategies
• Algorithmic discrimination and digital surveillance
• Civic imagination in social movements
• Critical pedagogy and decolonial methodologies
• Media literacy and misinformation

Her recent articles highlight themes like algorithmic resistance, Palestinian digital activism, and meme-based civic engagement. She emphasizes justice-informed media practices through her scholarship and public engagements.

Awards:

• Teaching Award for 'Studying Internet Culture' (Annenberg School, USC)

Public Engagement:

• Editorial board member of Pop Junctions
• Workshops on antiracist facilitation for organizations like NowThis and The Onion
• Global speaker at venues across the U.S., Palestine, Egypt, China, France, and Qatar

Labs/Teams: Co-editor of The Intersectional Internet II anthology and leads interdisciplinary research on digital cultures in contested geographies.