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How do displaced communities navigate information in the digital age? Our study examines the information practices of Rohingya refugees living under the shadow of genocide and prolonged displacement. It reveals how #pareshani (e.g., trauma, uncertainty, and anxiety) shapes media use and drives collaborative strategies that resist exploitation, surveillance, and misinformation. Situated within gendered, transnational, and socio-digital dynamics, the study introduces ‘Mediated Information Grounds,' a framework capturing how space/place/people, trust, privacy, and social networks intersect across digital and physical boundaries. The findings illustrate how marginalised communities co-create meaning, negotiate identity, and build resilience through networked, participatory communication, advancing scholarship on information practices in forced migration and precarious environments. OPEN ACCESS
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.
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.
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 genocide. It proposes the idea of “affective networked space” to unpack how participatory digital connections have created a networked space that is not only infused with pain, love, and intimacy but also imbued with the affective politics of collective suffering, solidarity, and identity negotiation. Full paper
What is Affective Networked Space? [AI generated audio 21:44]
What is Affective Networked Space? [AI generated audio 21:44]
What is Affective Networked Space (Aziz,2022).wav
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 undergraduate students face 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, student-centred digital learning environment in the technology-poor context of higher education in Bangladesh. open access
With the idea of "digital pitfalls," this article exposes the paradox in developing digital infrastructure while weaponizing digital and social media to silence the critical voice under the political agenda of 'Digital Bangladesh' during the authoritarian Hasina regime. Full paper Research metrics 🎯
Notley, T, Karanfil, G & Aziz, A. (2024). The smart TV in low-income migrant households: enabling digital inclusion through social and cultural media participation Research metrics 🎯
Drawing on an ethnographic study of digital inclusion among migrant families in Australia, this study focuses on the use of smart TVs. 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 crucial insights for policymakers and opens a new area of investigation for digital inclusion and media scholars. Full article here, open access
Drawing on an ethnographic study of digital inclusion among migrant families in Australia, this study focuses on the use of smart TVs. 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 crucial insights for policymakers and opens a new area of investigation for digital inclusion and media scholars. Full article here, 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. Find the full project report [here].
Research metrics 🎯
Introducing the idea of an ‘unjust burden of digital inclusion’, this study brings a new perspective to digital inclusion scholarship. [open access]
Introducing the idea of an ‘unjust burden of digital inclusion’, this study brings a new perspective to digital inclusion scholarship. [open access]
Rohingya Digital Diaspora.wavThis study mapps how the Rohingya refugees employ social media platforms to reclaim their identity narratives and mediated visibility and resistance in trasnational spaces in the context of genocide and subsequent prolonged displacement. Full paper This article was selected for the Transformative Research Award.
Research metrics 🎯
Research metrics 🎯
Applying the concepts of "power geometry " 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. It contributes to emerging scholarship on the intersection of digital media and immobility in the context of forced migration. Full paper
Research metrics 🎯
Research metrics 🎯
Rethinking digital financial inclusion (Aziz & Naima, 2021).wav [AI-generated AUDIO version of the article] 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, including connectivity, financial literacy, and social awareness. Full paper Research metrics 🎯
Drawing on a case study of the National ICT Policy (NIP) in Bangladesh, this paper argues that the NIP is ambiguous and techno-centric, with a narrow focus on digitisation. Therefore, there is a need to shift the policy focus to address societal challenges and to adopt a skill-based approach to ensure digital inclusion in Bangladesh. Full paper Research metrics 🎯
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)
This study aims to explore how official recognition of hijra as a 'third gender' shaped experiences of social exclusion in Bangladesh. 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 and social inclusion. Full paper
This study aims to explore how official recognition of hijra as a 'third gender' shaped experiences of social exclusion in Bangladesh. 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 and social inclusion. Full paper
This commentry examines the impact of digital inequalities and sociocultural factors, including social stigma and distrust, on the spread of health-related misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This paper proposes policy recommendations and aims to provide a forum for further research on the use of digital technologies to address health crises in the Global South. Full paper Research metrics 🎯
Book review
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)
Conference (Refereed)
This paper shows how social media play a dual role, 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 consequences 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. Research metrics 🎯 Extended abstract
Public writing (selective)
Public writing (selective)
Monash Lens, 18 Aug 2025
Monash Lens, 18 Aug 2025
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 undergraduate students face 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, student-centred digital learning environment in the technology-poor context of higher education in Bangladesh. open access
With the idea of "digital pitfalls," this article exposes the paradox in developing digital infrastructure while weaponizing digital and social media to silence the critical voice under the political agenda of 'Digital Bangladesh' during the authoritarian Hasina regime. Full paper Research metrics 🎯
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