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Official Biography
Theresa M. Senft combines ethnographic method with feminist and postcolonial critique to examine how new media technologies shape our currrent debates about the private, the public, the pornographic, and the pedagogic in global society.
Terri's newest book is entitled, CAMGIRLS: Webcams, LiveJournals and the Personal as Political in the Age of the Global Brand. It is due out from Peter Lang in 2007. Her co-authored History of the Internet,1843-Present won an American Library Association citation as one of the best reference books of 1990. Portions of her co-edited Sexuality & Cyberspace have been translated into Spanish by internet enthusiasts, and the book has been assigned in over 50 universities.
Since Winter of 2006, Terri has been a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at the University of East London in the U.K. In Spring and Summer of 2005, Terri was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of the Virgin Islands. Prior to then, she taught at NYU's Interactive Telecommunciations Program (ITP) as well as the Tisch School of Undergraduate Drama. Terri has worked as Academic Advisor to NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and has taught courses at the Pratt Institute of Art in New York.
Inspired by a new generation of public intellectuals in the popular press as well as online, Terri has published essays in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and other venues. She has appeared on National Public Radio, has been profiled in Lingua Franca and was recently a consultant and participant in the forthcoming documentary, Webcam Girls (Aerlyn Weissman, director.) Terri also maintains an active LiveJournal.
When asked to casually describe my work, I say that I'm interested performance, gender, global media, ethics, and my mother.As a researcher, I tend to favor auto-ethnographic methodologies. I've detailed my general research interests and possible forthcoming collaborations here. I also have a budding interest in micro-credit and technology initiatives in developing countries. A few years ago, I spent a small amount of time in Ghana working with the amazing people at WISE and BusyInternet, and I'm really eager to return there, as it's a fascinating place with regard to women and technologies. If you have any experience in these matters, I'd love to talk more with you.
As teacher, I admire writing that attempts to (get ready to wince) "edutain." Just think of me as Theory Spice. Or don't. I've detailed my teaching here. When I was coming across dense texts in graduate school I appreciated people who put their reading notes online, gave tips on how to write cultural studies papers, and provided "easy reader" lectures on topics like poststructuralism. Now I try to return the favor, both on my web site and on my LiveJournal.
Finally, I really love to travel, almost anywhere, really. If you'd like me to come visit your department, conference, workshop or whatnot, feel free to drop me some mail.