Zeynep Gursel

Zeynep Devrim Gürsel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, specializing in media anthropology. She completed her PhD in Anthropology with a Designated Emphasis in Film Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2007. Her academic work focuses on the analysis and production of images, particularly within the realms of photojournalism and visual culture.

Key Contributions::

• Books and Publications: Gürsel authored Image Brokers: Visualizing World News in the Age of Digital Circulation (2016), which examines the international photojournalism industry during its digital transition, particularly against the backdrop of the War on Terror. This ethnography is based on extensive fieldwork conducted in the U.S., France, and Turkey.12
• Film Work: She directed Coffee Futures, an award-winning ethnographic film that explores Turkish politics through coffee fortune-telling practices. This film reflects on societal anxieties regarding Turkey's future in relation to European Union membership.12
• Current Research: Gürsel is investigating photography as a tool of governmentality during the late Ottoman period, focusing on Sultan Abdülhamid II's reign (1876-1909). Her ongoing project, Portraits of Unbelonging, explores the role of photography in Armenian emigration to the United States.12

Educational Background::

• BA: Magna Cum Laude, Yale University (1995)
• MA: University of California, Berkeley (2001)
• PhD: University of California, Berkeley (2007).23

Gürsel has also published articles in various academic journals and contributed to discussions on global news, visual cultures, and the politics surrounding representation.23