Meet PhD Candidate Kawsar Ali

What can we learn about the Internet, if we start from settler-colonialism?

Short Bio

Kawsar Ali is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Literature and Languages at Macquarie University.  Kawsar has coined the term ‘digital settler colonialism’ to describe the framework she has developed to investigate the links between race, power, and the Internet. Kawsar also teaches in Media and Cultural Studies at Macquarie University, and writes on her website, onlineother.com. Kawsar is a recipient of a domestic scholarship through the Research Training Program and Macquarie University Research Excellence Scheme.

An image of Kawsar Ali 

Tell us about your research topic in 100 words or less

I study digital media and the Internet by bringing settler-colonialism to the forefront of conversations about online spaces. For example, although we discuss the Silicon Valley as the tech hub of the world, we fail to contextualise that the location still sits on stolen, Native American land, in the settler colony of the United States of America. Indigenous, Black and racialised people have been heavily exploited in digital industries, even as they simultaneously use the Internet to enact social justice.

Through my research I ask: "What can we learn about the Internet, if we start from settler-colonialism?"

What led you to do a PhD in this area, and what keeps you motivated?

I always say that I feel like my research chose me.

In 2019, I was conducting my Master of Research, studying ethnic crime and racism. Then, the Christchurch Massacre happened: a white supremacist walked into two mosques, in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and killed 51 Muslims. He used Facebook to livestream the attack for a global audience.

As a Muslim, the attack was all that I could think about. As a young person who was quite savvy with digital media, the reception of the livestream and online celebration of the attack deeply concerned me. Online and offline, I knew that Muslims were scared. But I also knew that this level of violence was not a new occurrence. I recall speaking to my supervisor and saying that the topic interested me, although the attack had only just recently happened, and there was nothing academic yet on it. My supervisor then reminded me that I could be the academic voice on the matter.

I then changed my Master of Research thesis topic to a case study that contextualised the Christchurch Massacre with the racialised, settler colonial histories of Australia and New Zealand. I also sought to understand how this settler-colonial manifested online, which led me to coin the term "digital settler-colonialsm" to talk about white supremacy and the Internet. I studied digital artefacts, like memes, website walkthroughs and white supremacist chatrooms, to understand how the Internet was used to extend racial violence.

I received a High Distinction for my Master of Research thesis. The feedback from my academic examiners was incredible. Both really encouraged me to go onto a doctoral dissertation, and shortly afterwards, I was offered a scholarship to do so. I am now continuing my refining of the term ‘digital settler colonialism’ to encompass a transnational case study of the United States of America and Australia, bringing the settler state to the forefront of that conversation, to critique the Internet.

What keeps me motivated is knowing that I am not alone. There is a wealth of writers, scholars, activists – online and offline – who have similar passions to mine, and academia is one way that we demonstrate that ethics of care. My primary supervisor, Professor Joseph Pugliese, tells me it is a matter of learning and unlearning, so knowing that I am on a continual journey in an area that I deeply care about motivates me to do my work, in a way that feels so fulfilling that I am reluctant to call it work sometimes.

How have your experiences outside of academia informed your research?

Directly working with survivors of terrorism, such as those who survived the Christchurch Massacre, has shaped the ethical dimensions of my research, and informed my personal drive and dedication to my work. These experiences were a key reason I made onlineother.com, a website where I could post developments of my work at my own pace.

I spent over a year working in state government on a digital storytelling project that championed the voices of survivors of terrorism. The research I conducted upon entry into the role proved that there are limited projects that promote the sentiments of survivors of terrorism, though they carry personal and passionate experiences that are integral to community engagement. My team and I worked on assembling a project that was trauma informed, progressive and dynamic to the needs of the survivors in our project, as well as amplifying the messages they believed needed to be heard by the wider public.

I remember the warm sentiments of the Ibrahim family, who lost their 3-year-old brother Mucad Ibrahim in the Christchurch Massacre, when I worked with them on the digital storytelling project. They were so supportive of my work and encouraging in a way I will never forget. I witnessed the strength of those who have been directly affected by white supremacy. When those survivors encouraged me to to keep doing your work, it only reinforced the importance of my research. I look back at these professional experiences commonly and fondly.

What do you consider your greatest academic achievement to date?

My greatest academic achievement to date is probably getting this far and feeling this supported… I was the first to attend university in my family, and now I find myself a recipient of a scholarship to do my PhD. I received many scholarships over the course of my undergraduate and Masters, but this one feels surreal sometimes, as I can entirely research, write, and read about what I find important.

What do you think that every grad researcher should know?

The importance of setting intention. A great piece of advice that I was given was to be as intentional as possible about every aspect of my research journey. That means that when I am seated in front of my laptop, I think about the role I need to have. Am I editing today? Then I purely am committed to refining the words I have in front of me. Am I reading today? If so, then it is my role to ensure I understand the words in front of me. Is my purpose to write for the next hour? If yes, then I should not seek to research now, but to begin writing. In the same way that we separate the following roles: an author, an editor, a researcher, an indexer, we need to compartmentalise those when we are researching, and be intentional about what the current task is, and just focus on that.

Kawsar is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Languages and Literature

Kawsar's Achievements:

Learn about how your organisation could benefit from hosting a graduate research intern working in Media and Communications.