Dr Gholam Khiabany

Gholam studies the relationship between citizenship, political activism and media and cultural practices.

Staff details

Position

Reader in Media and Communications

Email

Gholam Khiabany's academic career has focused on the relationship between citizenship, political activism and media and cultural practices, including alternative media.

His research interests centre on the media and social change and the relationship between communication, development and democracy with particular reference to the Middle East. Gholam Khiabany is also interested in the debate over multiculturalism, culturalisation of terror, the rise of the security state, and anti-Muslim racism.

He is the author of Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity (Routledge, 2010), co-author of Blogistan with Annabelle Sreberny (I.B.Tauris, 2010), co-editor of Liberalism in Neoliberal Times: Dimensions, Contradictions, Limits (Goldsmiths, 2017), and After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech (Zed, 2017)

He is an editor of the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, and is a member of council of management of the Institute of Race Relations.

Areas of supervision:
Mediated culture in the Middle East; media representation of race, migration and refugees; political activism and alternative/new media; media and religion; political economy of media.

Publications and research outputs

Book

Media, Democracy and Social Change: Re-imagining Political Communications Davis, Aeron; Fenton, Natalie; Freedman, Des (D. J.) and Khiabany, Gholam. 2020. Media, Democracy and Social Change: Re-imagining Political Communications. London: SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781526456960
Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran Sreberny, Annabelle and Khiabany, Gholam. 2010. Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran. London: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781845116064
Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity Khiabany, Gholam. 2009. Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity. Abingdon and New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-96289-6

Edited Book

The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East Khalil, Joe F.; Khiabany, Gholam; Guaaybess, Tourya and Yesil, Bilge, eds. 2023. The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781119637066
After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech Titley, Gavan; Freedman, Des (D. J.); Khiabany, Gholam and Mondon, Aurelien, eds. 2017. After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech. London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-78360-938-3 pb
Liberalism in Neoliberal Times: Dimensions, Contradictions, Limits Abraham-Hamanoiel, Alejandro; Freedman, Des (D. J.); Khiabany, Gholam; Nash, Kate and Petley, Julian, eds. 2017. Liberalism in Neoliberal Times: Dimensions, Contradictions, Limits. London: Goldsmiths Press. ISBN 978-1-906897-40-6

Book Section

Complexity of political communication in Iran Khiabany, Gholam. 2025. Complexity of political communication in Iran. In: Dina Matar, ed. Reframing Political Communication and Media Practices in the Middle East and North Africa. London: Bloomsbury Academic (I.B. Tauris), pp. 19-38. ISBN 9780755653812
Where is Iranian politics? Between state and nation, inside and outside the polity Sreberny, Annabelle and Khiabany, Gholam. 2023. Where is Iranian politics? Between state and nation, inside and outside the polity. In: Shahram Akbarzadeh, ed. Handbook of Middle East Politics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 126-143. ISBN 9781802205626
Media and Culture in the Middle East: An Introduction Khiabany, Gholam; Khalil, Joe F.; Guaaybess, Tourya and Yesil, Bilge. 2023. Media and Culture in the Middle East: An Introduction. In: Joe F. Khalil; Gholam Khiabany; Tourya Guaaybess and Bilge Yesil, eds. The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East. New York: Wiley/Blackwell, pp. 1-12. ISBN 9781119637066

Intellectuals, Modernities, and the Emerging Public Sphere Khiabany, Gholam. 2023. Intellectuals, Modernities, and the Emerging Public Sphere. In: Joe F. Khalil; Gholam Khiabany; Tourya Guaaybess and Bilge Yesil, eds. The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 55-63. ISBN 9781119637066
The Future and the ‘Poetry of the Past’ Khiabany, Gholam. 2022. The Future and the ‘Poetry of the Past’. In: Joanna Zylinska, ed. The Future of Media. London: Goldsmiths Press, pp. 7-22. ISBN 9781913380144
The Visible Hand of the State Khiabany, Gholam. 2017. The Visible Hand of the State. In: Gavan Titley; Des (D. J.) Freedman; Gholam Khiabany and Aurelien Mondon, eds. After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech. London: Zed Books, pp. 114-128. ISBN 978-1-78360-938-3 pb
The Middle East Khiabany, Gholam. 2016. The Middle East. In: Benjamin Birkinbine; Gomez Rodrigi and Janet Wasko, eds. Global Media Giants. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781138927711
The Importance of ‘Social’ in Social Media: The Lessons from Iran Khiabany, Gholam. 2015. The Importance of ‘Social’ in Social Media: The Lessons from Iran. In: Axel Bruns; Gunn Enli; Eli Skogerbø; Anders Olof Larsson and Christian Christensen, eds. The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics. New York: Routledge, pp. 223-234. ISBN 9781138860766
Uneven and Combined Independence of Social Media in the Middle East: Technology, Symbolic Production and Unproductive Labor Khiabany, Gholam. 2014. Uneven and Combined Independence of Social Media in the Middle East: Technology, Symbolic Production and Unproductive Labor. In: James Bennett and Niki Strange, eds. Media Independence Working with Freedom or Working for Free? New York: Routledge, pp. 261-280. ISBN 9781138023482
Terror, Culture and Anti-Muslim Racism Khiabany, Gholam and Wiillamson, Milly. 2012. Terror, Culture and Anti-Muslim Racism. In: Daya Kishan Thussu and Des (D. J.) Freedman, eds. Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives. London: SAGE, pp. 134-150. ISBN 978-1446201589
Terror, culture and anti-Muslim racism Khiabany, Gholam and Williamson, Milly. 2012. Terror, culture and anti-Muslim racism. In: Des (D. J.) Freedman and Daya Kishan Thussu, eds. Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives. London: Sage, pp. 134-150. ISBN 9781446201589
Muslim women and veiled threats: From 'civilizing mission' to 'clash of civilisations' Williamson, Milly and Khiabany, Gholam. 2011. Muslim women and veiled threats: From 'civilizing mission' to 'clash of civilisations'. In: J. Petley and R Richardson, eds. Pointing the finger: Islam and Muslims in the British media. London: One World Publications. ISBN 9781851688128
Muslim Women and Veiled Threats: From ‘Civilizing Mission’ to ‘Clash of Civilization Khiabany, Gholam. 2011. Muslim Women and Veiled Threats: From ‘Civilizing Mission’ to ‘Clash of Civilization. In: Julian Petley and Robin Richardson, eds. Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media. London: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 978-1851688128
Modernity and the Many Faces of ‘Digital Divides’: Digital Dynamics in Iran Khiabany, Gholam. 2011. Modernity and the Many Faces of ‘Digital Divides’: Digital Dynamics in Iran. In: Peter Golding and Graham Murdock, eds. Digital Dynamics: Engagements and Connections. New York: Hampton Press. ISBN 978-1572739314
Whither Eurocentrism? Media, Culture and Nativism in our Time Khiabany, Gholam. 2010. Whither Eurocentrism? Media, Culture and Nativism in our Time. In: Georgette Wang, ed. De-Westernizing Communication Research: Altering Questions and Changing Frameworks. 25 London and New York: Routledge, pp. 207-221. ISBN 978-0-415-57545-4
The Politics of Broadcasting in Iran: Continuity and Change, Expansion and Control Khiabany, Gholam. 2007. The Politics of Broadcasting in Iran: Continuity and Change, Expansion and Control. In: David Ward, ed. Television and Public Policy: Change and Continuity in an Era of Global Liberalization. London: Routledge, pp. 283-304. ISBN 978-0805856453
The Iranian Press, State and Civil Society Khiabany, Gholam. 2007. The Iranian Press, State and Civil Society. In: Mehdi Semati, ed. Media, Culture and Society in Iran: Living with Globalization and the Islamic State. London & NY: Routledge, pp. 17-36. ISBN 978-0415772167

Article

From ‘Stop the Boats’ to ‘Smash the Gangs’: Migration and Securitisation in Contemporary Capitalism Khiabany, Gholam and Williamson, Milly. 2025. From ‘Stop the Boats’ to ‘Smash the Gangs’: Migration and Securitisation in Contemporary Capitalism. Race & Class, ISSN 0306-3968
The British State, Citizenship Rights and Gendered Folk Devils: The Case of Shamima Begum Williamson, Milly and Khiabany, Gholam. 2025. The British State, Citizenship Rights and Gendered Folk Devils: The Case of Shamima Begum. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(2), pp. 345-360. ISSN 1367-5494
Critiquing the Vocabularies of the Marketized University Fenton, Natalie; Freedman, Des (D. J.); Khiabany, Gholam and Williamson, Milly. 2023. Critiquing the Vocabularies of the Marketized University. Media Theory, 7(1), pp. 277-298. ISSN 2557-826X

Conference or Workshop Item

State Policy and the Articulation of Racism Williamson, Milly and Khiabany, Gholam. 2019. 'State Policy and the Articulation of Racism'. In: IAMCR 2019. Madrid, Spain 7 - 11 July 2019.
Free Speech and the Market State: Race, Media and Culture Williamson, Milly and Khiabany, Gholam. 2013. 'Free Speech and the Market State: Race, Media and Culture'. In: IAMCR 2013. Dublin, Ireland 25 - 29 June 2013.
Security Culture and Racism Khiabany, Gholam and Williamson, Milly. 2011. 'Security Culture and Racism'. In: IAMCR 2011. Istanbul, Turkey 13 - 17 July 2011.