Toussaint Nothias

Academic Appointments

• Social Science Research Scholar, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

• Member, ICA (International Communication Association) (2013 - Present)
• Member, IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research) (2013 - Present)

Professional Education

• PhD, University of Leeds, Media and Communication
• MA, King's College London, Cultural and Creative Industries
• MA, University of Paris-Nanterre, Philosophy
• BA, University of Paris-Nanterre, Philosophy

Stanford Advisors

• Rob Reich, Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Dr. Toussaint Nothias is the Associate Director of Research at the Digital Civil Society Lab, and a Social Science Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.

Toussaint is a communication scholar whose research focuses on journalism, civil society, and digital technologies across Africa. His most recent work explores Facebook’s initiatives to increase digital connectivity on the African continent. The project engages a range of debates about digital rights advocacy in the Global South, tech corporations’ investments in network infrastructures and in civil society, and the social and political impact of social media platforms beyond Euro-America. Toussaint’s earlier research examined stereotypes in global news coverage of Africa through the analysis of media content and interviews with journalists in Kenya and South Africa. He is the co-founder and project lead of the Africa Stereotype Scanner, a digital tool designed to identify and address damaging stereotypes and implicit biases in writing about Africa. Toussaint has published in leading communication journals including the Journal of Communication; Media, Culture, Society; Journalism Studies, and the International Journal of Communication. He is the recipient of several academic awards, including the “Stuart Hall Award” from the IAMCR for his work on Twitter in Kenya.

At the Digital Civil Society Lab, Toussaint conceptualizes, coordinates and conducts research within the Lab’s areas of interest, and helps lead the Lab’s core scholarly programs, including nonresidential fellows and postdoctoral scholars, courses, conferences, and scholar workshops. In this role, he collaborates with internal and external stakeholders, including faculty, practitioners, students, and other university and community-based networks to promote a vibrant intellectual community around the Lab’s research goals.

Toussaint received his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and was a visiting doctoral scholar at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Before coming to the Digital Civil Society Lab, he was a lecturer in the Stanford Center for African Studies and a researcher at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at Oxford University