Azeb Madebo

Azeb Madebo (she/her) earned her M.A. in 2019 and Ph.D. in 2022 at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Before getting her M.A./Ph.D., she went to the University of Washington, Seattle, for her B.A. in Communication and minors in Anthropology and African Diaspora Studies.  

She is a digital media scholar and cultural studies scholar specializing in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region. She is particularly fascinated by the ritualistic and community-forming processes of online activism and engagement; the appropriation and adaptation of communication technologies by Africans (and the African diaspora) for sociopolitical ends like nation-building; the relationship between economic development agendas and perceptions of progress in Ethiopia; and the politics of identity—racial, national, and ethnic—in Africa and its diaspora communities.  

As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and affiliate of the Ethnic Studies Program, her teaching at the University of Portland will specialize in Critical Media and Ethnic Studies. She hopes to connect with and mentor students from all walks of life—especially those who share an interest in the scholarly interrogation of media, identity, culture, and power.  

Outside of her academic life, she appreciates spending time with her partner, her non-human animal companions, wandering through nature, traveling, silversmithing, or curling up somewhere cozy with a cup of tea or coffee. In the coming years, she hopes to foster community at the University of Portland, the greater Portland area, and the PNW! 

Education:  

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Southern California  
• Master of Arts, University of Southern California  
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Washington