Time: 1:30pm-2:45pm, Thursday 3 December

Location: IB 1047

Guest Speaker: Zhifan Luo, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, McMaster University

Abstract: To date, studies on the resilience of digital authoritarianism emphasize how the state has adapted censorship and surveillance to new technological and communication landscapes. This talk will explore how state measures and interactions that cannot be characterized as purely repressive serve to legitimize and strengthen state authority on Chinese social media. Drawing on case studies, Dr. Luo will elaborate on the role of non-state actors in sustaining authoritarian rule. Overall, this talk will illuminate digital authoritarianism as a collaborative project.

Bio: Zhifan Luo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University, Canada. Her research explores the intersections between political power, digital technology, and civic discourse. Her works appear in New Media & Society, Information, Communication & Society, Journal of Political Power, China: An International Journal, The SAGE Handbook of Social Media Research Methods, and more.