Albert Sharra

 

Albert is based in the Institute for the Advanced Studies in Humanities (IASH) and the Centre of African Studies (CAS), School of Social and Political Science.

Albert is a joint postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh and University of the Witwatersrand. He is a recipient of the Wits Centennial Sandwich, IASH and CAS postdoctoral research fellowships. His researcher is in Digital Political Activism in the Global South. He completed his split-site PhD while at CAS in 2022 under the Commonwealth Scholarship. He worked as a journalist for 10 years before moving to the University of the Witwatersrand where he has lectured for four years. Since transitioning to academics in 2019, he has published more than 10 peer-reviewed papers in digital activism, journalism, media and politics. His research work focuses on how digital technologies are affecting the ways citizens and the state interact. He pays more attention to how digital technologies are empowering citizens to challenge their governments, on one end and on the other end, how the governments are adjusting to be able to respond. His new projects cover state power, history of state repression, digital surveillance, Artificial Intelligence, digital sovereignty and cybersecurity in the global South. While in Edinburgh, Albert will be working on his debut monograph from his PhD. He is also serving as a Digital Media Mentor for International Press Institute (IPI).

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