Kelly Anne Hagen

Kelly Hagen– Kelly is a PhD researcher in the Media Studies Department. She received her bachelor’s degree in Politics and Sociology from University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. Prior to embarking on a master’s degree, Kelly sought to gain research experience. 

Kelly worked for the United States Department of Defense at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington D.C. as a research assistant under the guidance of Professor David Spencer where she studied insurgent group activities in Chile and Argentina. Kelly left Washington to move to London and pursue her master’s degree in Palestine Studies from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) under the supervision of Professor Wen-chin Ouyang in which she wrote her dissertation on the 2000 Camp David Accords. 

After receiving her master’s degree, Kelly felt compelled to undertake a PhD upon seeing the developments in the use of online communication strategies for transnational solidarity groups especially within the Palestinian diaspora in the West. The use of and deployment of social media for transnational solidarity networks, germinated research questions as to how and why transnational groups use social media. The desire to seek answers to these questions brought Kelly back to SOAS as a PhD student.  Kelly is currently a PhD researcher at SOAS, in their Centre for Global Media and Communications under the supervision of Professor Dina Matar and Dr. Nathaniel George. Kelly’s thesis is entitled Diaspora as the Front Line: Online Activism and Transnational Solidarity Amongst the Palestinian Diaspora in the West. 

Kelly’s  research focuses on Palestinian online activism amongst the diaspora in the West. Specifically, looking at how various diaspora groups use social media and what challenges they may face. Her research interests include: Palestine, online activism, social movements, transnational solidarity, and the Palestinian diaspora community. Passionate about the intersection of social media and transnational solidarity amongst the diaspora in the West, Kelly is always interested in connecting with fellow researchers, collaborators. Feel free to reach out if you have similar interests or just want to have a conversation. 

• Palestinian diaspora in the West, 
• Palestine, online activism, 
• Social movements, 
• Transnational solidarity, 
• Diasporas