Profile of Janica Ezzeldien

About

I am a Doctoral Researcher in Politics and International Relations at the University of Glasgow. In my research, I focus on forced displacement, race, and visuality. My project critically engages with the visual representation of refugees in news media discourse in shaping perceptions of forcibly displaced populations. It explores questions of how geopolitical dynamics link to identity construction. My PhD delves into the complexity of how we identify ourselves and others using a multi-methods approach. Elaborating how identities are constructed and negotiated through the interplay of visual representation and interpretation, I look at the visualisation of different groups of refugees and how these impact our images of those fleeing violence, war, and persecution. I hold a MA in Global Diplomacy (with Distinction) from SOAS, University of London, awarded with the University of London Awards for Achievement for one of the best performances on the degree during the 2021/22 academic year. Throughout my postgraduate studies, I got particularly interested in the link between biopower, body politics, and visualisation on which I focused when investigating the (in)visibility of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. I graduated with a First-Class MA Joint Honours in International Relations, Languages & Linguistics from the University of Aberdeen in 2019. In my dissertation, I investigated the processes of (de-)pharyngealisation and the integration of French loanwords in Cairene spoken Arabic for which I conducted semi-structured interviews during my fieldwork in Egypt. Throughout my studies, I was also able to take language courses in Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese (Mandarin). In 2015, I studied at the University of Oslo in Norway as Exchange Scholar working on projects critically analysing dynamics involved in democratisation and decolonisation in the MENA region. Using these insights, I further worked as a translator, editor, and proof-reader for a series of academic books thematising the weaponisation of migration. This work allowed me to deepen my understanding of the construction of forcibly displaced people in the European context.

Research Interests

Europe (Central and Eastern), Conflict, European Politics, Gender, International Relations, Media, Migration, Representation, Security, Terrorism, Constructivism, Critical Theory, Identity, Immigration, Race, Social Media, War, Asylum, Communication, Mixed Methods, Survey Experiments, Refugee