Torin Monahan is co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal ''Surveillance & Society'', a former director of the
Surveillance Studies Network
The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a non-profit academic association dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It was founded in 2006 as a charitable company registered in the UK. Its purpose is to support an international, ...
, and a professor of communication at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
. He is best known for his work on the social and cultural dimensions of surveillance systems.
Education
Monahan received a Bachelor of Arts in English from
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...
in 1993, and a Master of Arts in English (with distinction) from the same university in 1996.
Monahan then pursued additional graduate training in
Science and Technology Studies
Science and technology studies (STS) or science, technology, and society is an interdisciplinary field that examines the creation, development, and consequences of science and technology in their historical, cultural, and social contexts.
Histo ...
(STS) at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...
in upstate New York, receiving a Master of Science in STS in 2002 followed by a PhD in STS in 2003.
Career
Monahan worked as an assistant professor in the School of Justice and Social Inquiry at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
from 2003 to 2008. He moved to
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
in 2008, where he was an associate professor of Human and Organizational Development and associate professor of medicine from 2008 to 2012.
He began as an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
in 2013 and has been Professor at the same institution since 2015.
Additionally, from 2015 to 2020 Monahan served as a director of the international
Surveillance Studies Network
The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a non-profit academic association dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It was founded in 2006 as a charitable company registered in the UK. Its purpose is to support an international, ...
, which is the primary professional academic association dedicated to the critical study of surveillance.
Research
Monahan's research focuses on institutional and cultural transformations with new technologies, with a particular emphasis on surveillance and security programs.
He has written on Department of Homeland Security data
fusion centers,
surveillance and inequality in schools,
managerial supervision with hospital tracking systems, racial violence, and artistic modes of resistance to state surveillance. He has served as Principal Investigator on several
National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
-funded grants, including the Platform Mediation research project studying the ways that cities contend with platforms like
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
and
Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...
.
Reception
Monahan's book ''Surveillance in the Time of Insecurity'' received the 2011 Surveillance Studies Book Prize from the
Surveillance Studies Network
The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a non-profit academic association dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It was founded in 2006 as a charitable company registered in the UK. Its purpose is to support an international, ...
for the world's best English language book published on the topic of surveillance. His book ''Crisis Vision'' received honorable mention for the 2023 Surveillance Studies Book Prize.
Selected works
*Monahan, Torin. ''Globalization, Technological Change, and Public Education''. Routledge (2005).
*Monahan, Torin. (Ed.) ''Surveillance and Security: Technological Politics and Power in Everyday Life''. Routledge (2006).
*Monahan, Torin, and Rodolfo D. Torres (Eds.) ''Schools under Surveillance: Cultures of Control in Public Education''. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press (2010).
*Monahan, Torin. ''Surveillance in the Time of Insecurity''. Rutgers University Press (2010).
*Gilliom, John, and Torin Monahan. ''SuperVision: An Introduction to the Surveillance Society''. University of Chicago Press (2013).
*Monahan, Torin, and David Murakami Wood. (Eds.) ''Surveillance Studies: A Reader''. Oxford University Press (2018).
*Monahan, Torin. ''Crisis Vision: Race and the Cultural Production of Surveillance''. Duke University Press (2022).
References
External links
Torin Monahan’s websiteTorin Monahan’s Google Scholar pagePlatform Mediation Research ProjectThe Dual-Careers Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monahan, Torin
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American mass media scholars
American sociologists
California State University, Northridge alumni
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni
Arizona State University faculty
Vanderbilt University faculty
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty