Abdul Aziz

Visiting Toronto Metropolitan University

Winter 2026

Abdul Aziz holds a PhD from the School of Communication at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and is currently working as a Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at Monash University Malaysia. His research lies at the intersection of digital media, diaspora and (forced) migration, and cultural studies, with a focus on sociocultural dimensions of everyday digital media practices among marginalized communities. Aziz's research critically engages with questions of (im)mobility, inequality, and power, exploring how these dynamics are shaped by and reflected in digital technologies across diverse lived contexts. His work has been published in leading journals such as New Media & Society, Media, Culture & Society, Technology in Society, Contemporary South Asia and Policy & Internet, among others.

Research focus while a Bridging Divides Future Leaders Fellow

During his Future Leader Fellowship, Aziz will investigate how Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia experience precarity and mobility constraints and explores the role of digital and social media in shaping their lives, focusing on their agency, resilience, and survival strategies. The study addresses gaps in existing research, which often portrays migrants as passive victims, focusing on how these migrants use digital technologies to navigate challenges, access resources, and build community. Ultimately, this research aims to reveal the complex interplay of legal, socio-cultural, and technological factors that shape the everyday lives of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia.