Jaafar Aksikas is a Moroccan-born American academic, activist, media personality and

cultural critic A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole. Cultural criticism has significant overlap with social and cultural theory. While such criticism is simply part of the self-consciousness of the culture, the social positions o ...

. He is currently Professor of Media Studies and Communication at

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...

, United States, where he teaches at the intersection of politics, media and civic media and activism. He is also President and CEO of the Institute for Global Media, Democracy and Culture. He was also President of the Cultural Studies Association (2014-2016). Jaafar Aksikas was educated both in Morocco and the USA and holds a Ph.D in Cultural Studies: Media Studies from

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, USA and an MA in the Humanities from the prestigious Royal

Al Akhawayn University Al Akhawayn University (, Berber: ''Tasdawit En Wawmaten'') is an independent, public, not-for-profit, coeducational university in Ifrane, Morocco, from the imperial city of Fez, in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The medium of instruction is th ...

, Morocco. His teaching, research and activism are at the intersection of media, politics, law and culture. He is the Editor of the Cultural Studies and Marxism book series for the international publisher Rowman & Littlefield International (2015–present). His work has appeared in several scholarly journals, including ''

Cultural Studies Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rel ...

'', ''Reviews in Cultural Theory'', ''Lateral'', ''

Mediterranean Politics ''Mediterranean Politics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Taylor and Francis focusing on research into contemporary politics and international relations in the Mediterranean Sea and the regions surrounding it including t ...

'', and ''Cultuur en Migratie''. Aksikas has taught and published widely in the fields of Cultural Studies, media/culture industry studies, critical legal studies, American Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. He also serves on the editorial boards of ''Cultural Studies'' and ''Lateral'' journals. He has received numerous awards, including the George Mason University VISION Award (2003) and the Marquis Who is Who in America award (2010). He also holds membership at the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. He is also the Founding General Editor of Cultural Landscapes, the Founding Coordinator of the Cultural Studies Colloquium Series at Columbia College Chicago, and he serves as a member of the Illinois Network on Islam and Muslim Societies. He also serves as consultant for lawyers and the media on Middle Eastern and North African societies, cultures and politics.

Publications

His books and edited volumes include: * * * * * * His other publications include: *Culture Industries: Critical Interventions (2011), an inaugural special journal issue on the culture and media industries for the journal Lateral. *Critical Purchase in Neoliberal Times, a special journal issue on engaged and community-based forms of cultural studies scholarship for the journal Lateral.

External links

Personal website

Cultural Studies Association siteThe New Project of Cultural Studies
Interview with Liz Andrews
Cultural Studies and Marxism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aksikas, Jaafar American Marxist writers 1974 births Columbia College Chicago faculty Living people Cultural academics American people of Moroccan descent