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My scholarly projects have been innovative, interdisciplinary, and inspired by subfields such as audience research, fandom, feminist media studies, migration, technology and social change, food communication, and critical cultural studies.

A central theme in my scholarship is how marginalized groups use social media to wield power and cope with unjust life conditions. For example, my rarticle 鈥淲atching television while forcibly displaced: Syrian refugees as participant audiences,鈥� published in Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies focuses on marginalized displaced audiences鈥� online engagement with TV texts that tackle the Syrian refugee crisis. I show the ways in which the entertainment intervention of drama creators provided displaced audiences with scripts to mitigate the traumatic effects of a highly polarizing conflict, and to find a healing space from violent and alienating dominant media discourses.

Through the lens of feminist and critical cultural studies, I also explore issues of gender, technology, and empowerment. For instance, I am interested in how displaced Syrian women journalists and activists use Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for empowerment in their personal and professional lives and to foster positive affects of solidarity, hope, and possibilities. I examine the ways in which they tackle issues such as reproductive rights, women鈥檚 and children鈥檚 health, technical literacy, security and harassment.

Peer-reviewed Articles:

Alhayek, Katty & Eidmouni, Milia. (2026). Intersectionality and solidarity in Syrian feminist media activism. Syria Studies journal, Centre for Syrian Studies (CSS), University of St. Andrews. (Published online first and forthcoming in the journal鈥檚 2027 issue). (Open Access) https://css.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2026/07/09/intersectionality-and-solidarity-in-syrian-feminist-media-activism-lessons-from-2011-2021-for-post-assad-era/ 

Alhayek, Katty. (2025). Digital feminist futurities from the margin: refugee women experiences with juxtapolitical publics. (Un)Disturbed: A Journal of Feminist Voices. Vol. 2 No. 2, 57-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15353/un-disturbed.v2i2.6658 (Open Access).

Alhayek, Katty. (2025). Digital empowering positivity: Syrian women鈥檚 counter-discourse for resistance and healing. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 1鈥�15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2025.2563215 (Open Access). 

Alhayek, Katty.(July 14, 2025). Syrian Online Spaces of Possibilities: Small-scale Media in War and Displacement Contexts. Rubix Journal for Creative Research and Practice, 1-33. (Open Access).

Zeno, Basileus & Alhayek, K. (June 2025). 'Beyond Preaching Unity and Inclusion: Observations from Syria鈥檚 Media and Online Spaces'. Allegra Lab.  https://doi.org/10.65268/XCUP3036   (Open Access).

Alhayek, Katty., Zeno, Basileus. (2023). Decolonizing Displacement Research: Betweener Autoethnography as a Method of Resistance. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 55(3), 548-555. doi:10.1017/S0020743823001071 (Open Access)

Alhayek, Katty., Alexander, B. K., Foster, E., Hernandez, C. G., Mackie-Stephenson, A., Moreira, C., Pelias, J, R., Poulos, C., Sutton, T., and Twishime, P. I. (2023). 鈥淐ollaborative Autoethnographic Writing as Communal Curative.鈥� International Review of Qualitative Research, 15(4), 544-570.doi:10.1177/19408447211068193

Alexander, B. K., Hernandez, C. G., Pelias, R. J., Alhayek, K., Poulos, C., Moreira, C., Sutton, T., Stephenson, A., Foster, E., & Twishime, P. I. (2021). 鈥淚nter and Enter: An Invitation to Collaboration Thru Autoethnography.鈥� International Review of Qualitative Research, 15(4), 511-543. https://doi.org/10.1177/19408447211049527

Alhayek, Katty. (2020). Watching television while forcibly displaced: Syrian refugees as participant audiences. Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 17(1), 8-28. (Open Access)

Alexander, B. K., Stephenson-Celadilla, A. Alhayek, K., et al (2019). "鈥業'm sorry my hair is blocking your smile鈥�: A Performative Assemblage and Intercultural Dialogue on the Politics of Hair and Place". International Review of Qualitative Research, 12(4), 339鈥�362. [Recipient of the Ellis-Bochner Autoethnography and Personal Narrative Research Award.]

Alhayek, Katty. (2017). Emotional Realism, Affective Labor and Politics in the Arab Fandom of Game of Thrones. International Journal of Communication, 11, 3740鈥�3763. (Open Access)

Alhayek, Katty. (2016). ICTs, Agency, and Gender in Syrian Activists鈥� Work among Syrian Refugees in Jordan. Gender, Technology and Development 20(3), 333-351. [Recipient of the Center for International Studies Best Essay Award, Ohio University.]

Alhayek, Katty. (2015). 鈥淚 must save my life and not risk my family鈥檚 safety!鈥�: Untold Stories of Syrian Women Surviving War. Syria Studies. 7(1), 1-30. (Open Access) [Republished by https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/32226 Republished in Spanish by rebelion.org at http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=202207  Republished by International Relations Insights & Analysis Report - Middle East and Challenges Ahead at http://www.ir-ia.com/reports/IRIA-Middle-East-and-Challenges-Ahead-Report.pdf

Alhayek, Katty. (2014). Double Marginalization: The Invisibility of Syrian Refugee Women's Perspectives in Mainstream Online Activism and Global Media. Feminist Media Studies, 14(4), 696-700. [Reprinted in Women of the Middle East, edited by Fatma M眉ge G枚莽ek, Routledge (December 2, 2015)] http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9780415823128/ 

BOOK CHAPTERS & PERIODIC PUBLICATIONS

Alhayek, Katty. (2026). Knowledge Production and Diaspora Politics: A Syrian Case Study. (with Basileus Zeno and Mimi Kirk).  In Reclaimimg civic spaces, knowledge and agency: taking stock and building a research agenda. The International Development Research Centre and the Asfari Foundation (pp.127-146). https://hdl.handle.net/10625/67725  

Alhayek, Katty, Oseen, Eva. (2024). Against 鈥淒ouble Erasure鈥�: Women鈥檚 Filmmaking in the Aftermath of the Uprisings in Yemen, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. Routledge Handbook on Arab Cinema. Edited by Noha Mellor. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003302025-18/double-erasure-katty-alhayek-eva-oseen 

Alhayek, Katty. (2016). Syrian Refugees in the Media. Middle East Report, 278. https://merip.org/2016/04/syrian-refugees-in-the-media/ 

Alhayek, Katty. (2013). Participant Observation. In Research Handbook for Communication & Development: For CommDevers by CommDevers (pp. 30-34). Community Research Alliance: Athens, OH, USA.

SELECTED PUBLIC PUBLICATIONS

Reflection on Researching Fandom, Politics, and Arabic-Speaking Audiences. (2023, August 23). Jadaliyya. Available at: https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45256 

Roundtable Introduction: Fandom and Politics in the Southwest Asian and North African Region. (with Benjamin Nolan). (2023, August 23). Jadaliyya. Available at: https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45255/Fandom-and-politics-in-the-Southwest-Asian-North-African-SWANA-region 

Alhayek, Katty (2020, July 07). Coping with violence and displacement through media: the experiences of Syrian audiences. Conflict Research Programme Blog. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/crp/2020/07/07/coping-with-violence-and-displacement-through-media-the-experiences-of-syrian-audiences/ 

Alhayek, Katty. (2018, April 10). Intersectional feminism and how it can be applied to the Syrian situation. Jadaliyya. (In Arabic). Available at: https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/36423 

Selected Conference Presentations, Invited Talks and Workshops

Preserving the Past, Building the Future: Syrian collective memory and cultural resistance in diaspora. (July 18, 2025). Memory Studies Association Ninth Annual Conference. Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. (Co-organizer of the panel and presenter).

Webinar on "Syria in Transition: Academic Perspectives." (April 15, 2025).鈥�  The Arab Council for Social Sciences (ACSS). 

Workshop on "Refugee Narratives: reflections from psychology, communication and law." (February 26, 2025). 91看片网. 

Webinar on War, Media and Disinformation. (February 24, 2025). The Arab Political Science Network (APSN), in collaboration with the Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) and the Middle East Studies Program at the American University in Cairo (AUC). 

Webinar on "Syria after Assad: opportunities and challenges." (Dec 11, 2024). Centre for Syrian Studies. The University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Decolonization-- Dimension鈥檚 SRC Lunch and learn. 91看片网, October 25, 2023. (Co-organizer and presenter).

鈥淎I, Metaverse and Communicative Changes.鈥� 73rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, May 2023. (Panel Chair)        

Syrian online spaces of possibilities: alternative and activist media for dialogue and reconciliation. International Communication Association Pre-conference 鈥楻eimagining the field of Media, War and Conflict in the age of information disorder鈥�, May 2023. (Paper presentation).

Digital media and displaced women鈥檚 pursuit of empowerment during the pandemic. American Political Science Association (APSA), September 2022. (Paper presentation).

Global Fandom Conversation: Patterns of Globalization and Localization of Fandom from Bollywood to Eastern Europe. The 72nd Annual International Communication Association Conference, May 2022. (Roundtable).

Collaborative Autoethnographic Writing as Communal Curative. The 18th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, May 2022. (Paper presentation).

Arab Fandom and Creative Political Participation The Case of Game of Thrones. George Mason University, February 21, 2022. https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/43888/MEIS-Presents-Arab-Fandom-and-Creative-Political-Participation-The-Case-of-Game-of-Thrones-Video-43888

Roundtable on What does it mean to decolonize research methodologies? RUBIX, The Creative School X University, January 27, 2022.

Talk on 鈥淔acebook, displaced women, and the pursuit of empowerment,鈥� Wellesley College, United States on January 19, 2022.

A Reflection on Displacement and Related Methodological and Ethical Considerations. The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 55th Annual Meeting, December 2021. (Online paper presentation).

Webinar on "Surviving and Thriving on the Margins: How Syrian Women and the Palestinian Minority in Israel Challenge Marginality," The Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, Nov. 15, 2021.

Digital empowering positivity: gender, displacement, and networked counterpublics. Migrant Belongings: Digital Practices and the Everyday conference, April, 2021. (Online paper presentation).

Zoom workshop on 鈥渋ntersectional feminism in the Syrian context,鈥� MUSAWA women's study center, February 27, 2021.

Zoom panel on 鈥淪yrian Feminism: Current Issues,鈥� organized by the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies鈥�, Dec 7, 2020 (in Arabic) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUWg2kB1OkU&t=3340s

Communicating to peace: Syrian online spaces of possibilities. The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 54th Annual Meeting, October 2020.

Talk on 鈥淪yrian Asylees Speak Out,鈥� Smith College, April 24, 2019.

Workshop on Bourdieu, Identity, and Violent Conflict at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in New York, November 5th, 2018.

Recognition and television drama: exploring the role of popular culture in time of war. The International Studies Association Annual Convention, April 2018.

Talk at the 鈥淩efugees, Media and ICTs鈥� workshop at the Global Media Technologies and Cultures Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), February 21-22, 2018.

Lived Experiences of Syrian refugees in television drama. The International Communication Association's 67th Annual Conference, May 2017.

Dr. Alhayek's work has been awarded grants from major international organizations and universities, including the Open Society Foundations, the Social Science Research Council, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the International Development Research Centre.  

Her 2019 collaborative article published in the International Review of Qualitative Research received the Ellis-Bochner Autoethnography and Personal Narrative Research Award.  

In 2021-2022, she received the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Global Academy fellowship.

Her 2024-25 collaborative research project, titled Knowledge Production and Diaspora Politics: A Syrian Case Study (with Basileus Zeno and Mimi Kirk), was awarded a grant by the International Development Research Centre and the Asfari Foundation.