Publications

Aziz. A & Hossain. T (2024) Digital Access, Resources and Literacy: Mapping the Digital Divide and ICT Learning Challenges Among Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh. Asiascape: Digital Asia [Q1]
This study addresses the following research questions: (1) How do undergraduate students in Bangladesh experience the digital divide in their academic environment? (2) What are the primary challenges faced by undergraduate students in accessing and using ICT resources? (3)To what extent do existing ICT courses contribute to the development of students’ digital skills and literacy? This article emphasizes the need for an effective learning environment that prioritizes three interconnected dimensions: (a) equal access, (2) resources, and (3) digital literacy. Overall, we advocate for a digitally inclusive and student-centred digital learning environment within the technology-poor context of higher education in Bangladesh. [open access]

Notley, T, Karanfil, G & Aziz, A. (2024). The smart TV in low-income migrant households: enabling digital inclusion through social and cultural media participation Media, Culture & Society [Q1] Research metrics 🎯

This paper draws on an ethnographic study of digital inclusion among migrant families in Australia. We specifically focus on the uses of smart TVs to understand and contextualize intergenerational digital inclusion opportunities. We argue that the smart TV, perhaps more than any other home device, facilitates digital inclusion through intergenerational, social, and cultural participation and serves as a shared learning environment. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers and opens a new area of investigation for digital inclusion and media scholars. [open access]

These two articles stem from a larger research project on Digital Inclusion among low-income families in Australia, funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). I was part of this project under the supervision of Professor Tanya Notley, Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. You can find the full project report [here].

Notley, T & Aziz, A. (2024). The unjust burden of digital inclusion for low‐income migrant parents Policy & Internet. [Q1] Research metrics 🎯

This research explores the digital inclusion disparities faced by low-income migrant parents in Western Sydney, Australia. The study finds that while parents view digital inclusion as necessary, it also comes with social, financial, and emotional burdens. With the idea of an ‘unjust burden of digital inclusion’, this study highlights a targeted and culturally informed digital and social inclusion policy for low-income migrant families, bringing a new perspective to digital inclusion scholarship. [open access]

Aziz, A. (2022). Power geometries of mediated care: (Re)mapping transnational families and immobility of the Rohingya diaspora in a digital age. Media, Culture & Society [Q1] Research metrics 🎯
The article focuses on the intersection of digital media and immobility in the context of forced migration. Drawing on the idea of "power geometry of care" and the "immobility turn" in media studies, this study develops a new idea "power geometries of mediated care" to understand how socio-spatial mobility is restricted and regulated, and how this impacts transnational caregiving practices of forced migrants in the digital age.

Aziz, A. (2022). Rohingya Diaspora Online: Mapping the spaces of visibility, resistance and transnational identity on social media. New Media & Society. [Q1] Research metrics 🎯

This article examines how the Rohingya refugees employ social media platforms to reclaim their identity narratives through visibility and resistance in the context of genocide and subsequent prolonged displacement. This study brings unique insights to understand voices from the margins. It shows how new media allow ethnic minorities and marginalized groups to construct identity through online mediation in transnational spaces. [This article was selected for the Transformative Research Award 2023]
Find more how the Rohingya use social media to survive and thrive [AI generated AUDIO version of the article]

Rohingya Digital Diaspora.wav

Aziz, A. (2022). Affective Networked Space: Polymedia Affordances and Transnational Digital Communication among the Rohingya Diaspora. International Journal of Communication [Q1]
This study explores the intersection of affect, affordance, and agency of the Rohingya diaspora in maintaining the everyday transnational digital communication in the context of prolonged displacement and geocide. It proposes the idea of “affective networked space” to unpack how the participatory digital connections have created a networked space, which is not only infused with pain, love, and intimacy, but also imbued with the affective politics of collective sufferings, solidarity, and identity negotiation.
What is Affective Networked Space? [AI generated audio 21:44]

What is Affective Networked Space (Aziz,2022).wav

Aziz, A., & Naima, U. (2021). Rethinking digital financial inclusion: Evidence from Bangladesh. Technology in Society [Q1] Research metrics 🎯
This study examines the impact of digital financial inclusion in Bangladesh and challenges the assumptions made in mainstream scholarship. It proposes a comprehensive framework for understanding digital financial inclusion and highlights the importance of addressing social dynamics and barriers such as connectivity, financial literacy, and social awareness. [AI-generated AUDIO version of the article]

Rethinking digital financial inclusion (Aziz & Naima, 2021).wav

Aziz, A. (2020). Digital Inclusion Challenges in Bangladesh: The Case of the National ICT Policy. Contemporary South Asia [Q1]Research metrics 🎯
This study examines the effectiveness of the National ICT Policy (NIP) in Bangladesh in achieving digital inclusion. The study argues that the NIP is ambiguous and techno-centric, with a narrow focus on digitisation, thus it needs to focus on empowering individuals and addressing societal challenges. The article suggests that a skill-based approach and consideration of societal challenges are crucial for ensuring digital inclusion in Bangladesh.

Aziz, A. (2021). Digital Pitfalls: The Politics of Digitalization in Bangladesh. Communication, Culture and Critiqu [Q1] Research metrics 🎯
The article discusses the impact of the government's "Digital Bangladesh" initiative on digital surveillance and media censorship in Bangladesh. The author uses the concept of "digital pitfalls" to examine how the state uses surveillance and fear to restrict freedom of expression in the digital age. [The paper has been published in a special section (Forum) titled "Digital Cultures of South Asia: Inequalities, Informatization, Infrastructures" as a part of the ICA Pre-conference in 2020.

Aziz, A., Islam, M. M., & Zakaria, M. (2020). COVID-19 exposes digital divide, social stigma, and information crisis in Bangladesh. Media Asia Research metrics 🎯
This paper discusses the impact of digital inequalities and sociocultural factors on the spread of health-related misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. It also proposes recommendations to address these issues and improve public health education and behavior. The paper aims to provide a forum for further research on the use of digital media and technology in addressing health crises in the Global South.

Aziz, A., & Azhar, S. (2019). Social Exclusion and Official Recognition for Hijra in Bangladesh. Journal of Research on Women and Gender (Texas State University, USA)
Following the new gender policy reform in Bangladesh, this study aims to explore how official recognition of hijra as a 'third gender' shaped experiences of social exclusion. These findings suggest that (1) hijra require increased vocational training and employment opportunities, (2) healthcare providers who interact with hijra in medical settings require greater sensitization, and (3) legal advocacy is needed to ensure the protection of hijra's civil rights.

Book Chapters

Aziz, A. (2025). Food on Display: Connecting Home (Land) and Identity Negotiation of the Rohingya Refugees in Brisbane City. In: Bailey, A., Otsuki, K. (eds) Inclusive Cities and Global Urban Transformation. Springer, Singapore. Open access
This study shows that both offline and online food practices contribute to the lived experiences of the Rohingya ethnic identities, visibility, inclusion, and belonging. It shows that such food practices become significant conduits for collective identity and intercultural communication in an urban space, contributing to a multicultural and inclusive city.

Book review

Aziz, A. (2024). Book Review: Social Media in the Lives of Young Connected Migrants: Making and Unmaking Boundaries by Xinyu (Andy) Zhao. Journal of Sociology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833241272923

Conference (Refereed)

Research metrics 🎯

Aziz, A. (2021). A repertoire of everyday resistance and technological (in)security: constructing the Rohingya diaspora and transnational identity politics on social media. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research
This paper shows how social media play a dual role of opportunities and risks simultaneously enabling both resistance and fear in everyday digital media use in a context of surveillance and statelessness. I argue that although digital and social media offer a niche of a repertoire of resistance and the rise of a new form of community in a context of statelessness, the use of such technologies can be juxtaposed with the consequence of digital surveillance and victimisation in everyday life in a refugee camp. It offers critical insights into power inequalities, immobilities, surveillance and transnational identity politics.