Biography
Dr. Jaafar Aksikas, PhD, is Professor of Media Studies and Cultural Studies at Â鶹Íø, where he teaches at the intersection of media, politics, and culture. ÌýHe is also President of the and Chair of the (GMDA). ÌýHe is also Past President of the (CSA) and current Editor of the Book Series. He holds a from and an MA in the Humanities from (AUI), Morocco.Dr. Aksikas's books and edited volumes include , (co-edited with Sean Johnson Andrews and Donald Hedrick (2019),Ìý(co-edited with Sean Johnson Andrews, forthcoming 2016),Ìý(co-edited with Sean Johnson Andrews, 2014),Ìý (2009) and The Sirah [Epic] of Antar: An Islamic Interpretation of Arab and Islamic History (2002). His other edited or co-edited volumes also includeÌýan inaugural special journal issue on the culture and media industries titled (2011), as well as a special issue on engaged and community-based forms of cultural studies scholarship titled , both for the Cultural Studies Association Journal . His articles, chapters and reviews have appeared in journals and collections such as Cultural Studies, , Lateral, , , and . Dr. Aksikas is currently at work on a book on the practices and politics of research in Cultural Studies titled Cultural Studies in PracticeÌý(under contract with Rowman Littlefield International).
Dr. Aksikas has taught, researched, and published widely in the fields of media studies, cultural studies, media and activism, critical ethnic studies, critical legal studies, American Studies, and Middle Eastern & North African Studies. He also serves on the editorial boards of and journals. He has received numerous awards, including the George Mason University Distinguished Alumnus for Cultural Studies (2017), (2003). He is also a member of . He is the Founding and General Editor of , the Founding Coordinator for Â鶹Íø'sÌýCultural Studies Colloquium Series, and he serves as a member of the . He has also served as consultant for lawyers and media on issues relating to Middle Eastern and North African cultures and politics.
At Â鶹Íø, Dr. Aksikas teaches several of the core courses in both the undergraduate program in Communication and the graduate program in Media for Social Impact, including Media, Politics and Activism; Advanced Topics in Media and Communication; Communication Essentials;ÌýMedia, Politics, and Intervention; Theories of Media, Society, and Culture;ÌýIntroduction to Cultural Studies; Post-Colonial Studies;ÌýGlobalization and Culture; Marx and Marxism(s); Methods of Inquiry in Cultural Studies; and Capstone II: Thesis in Cultural Studies.
Instructional Areas
Media Studies; Cultural Studies; Critical Theories of Media and Communication; Critical Ethnic Studies; Critical Theory; Research Methods and Methodologies; Post-Colonial Studies; Globalization and Culture; Middle Eastern Cultural Studies; and American Studies.
Creative Practice and Research Interests
Topical: Media studies and cultural studies; political economy of media and communication; critical legal and policy studies; and postcolonial studies. Areal: American cultural studies and media studies; Middle Eastern and North African media studies, cultural studies, and politics.
Degrees
B.A., English Chouaib Doukkali University 1997
M.A., Humanities: Comparative Cultural Studies Al Alkhawayn University 1999
Ph.D., Cultural Studies George Mason University 2005