Lecture | Gabriella Coleman | Anonymous vs The Anonymous Far Right: Sense Making, Anonymity and The Politics of Image Board Cultures

Join the Institute for Public Knowledge and the Global New Right Working Group for a lecture with Gabriella Coleman on April 24th at 2:00 PM. This event will be hybrid.

In this talk, Gabriella Coleman will delve into the comparison between Anonymous and the alt-right, emphasizing their distinct origins, methods, and ideologies despite both emerging from similar image boards and employing digital tools for their causes. She will underscore the necessity for careful cultural and historical analysis in understanding these movements, challenging the oversimplified classification of both under the umbrella of “internet activism” and highlighting their dynamics and importance in contemporary but distinct political movements.

Gabriella (Biella) Coleman is a full professor in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University, where she also serves as a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and a faculty affiliate in the History of Science Department. Her academic pursuits revolve around the intersections of science, technology, and medicine, with a particular focus on the politics, cultures, and ethics of hacking. Coleman has authored two books exploring on computer hackers and is the founder and editor of Hack_Curio, a video platform providing insights into hacking cultures and in 2021 she hosted the BBC4 radio and podcast series, The Hackers.