{"685913":{"#nid":"685913","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Ph.D. Candidate Shazia Awarded Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellowship","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShazia, who uses one name, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Georgia Tech, has been named the recipient of The Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellowship for the 2025\u20132026 academic year. The fellowship, jointly supported by The Carter Center and Georgia Tech\u2019s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), recognizes graduate students working at the intersection of digital technologies and democratic processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOpen to all Georgia Tech graduate students, the fellowship provides $15,000 in support\u2014disbursed to the recipient\u2019s advisor\u2014and offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with The Carter Center\u2019s Democracy Program. Fellows are expected to engage in IPaT programming and contribute to ongoing research and communications efforts throughout the year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShazia\u2019s research centers on the sociopolitical dynamics of the Hazara community in Balochistan, Pakistan. Her dissertation, titled \u201cAssemblages of Security: Violence and (re)Construction of identities in the Case of Hazaras,\u201d explores how digital platforms have reshaped traditional forms of resistance and identity formation. As part of the fellowship, she will focus on how Hazaras have used platforms like Facebook and Twitter (now X) to transform sit-in protests into new modes of democratic struggle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer study poses critical questions: How have digital technologies influenced local governance in Balochistan? In what ways have these platforms enabled global advocacy for Hazaras? And how has digital activism contributed to the shaping of Hazara identity both within Pakistan and on the international stage?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese questions speak directly to the missions of both The Carter Center and IPaT,\u201d said Shazia. \u201cI have always wanted to bring digital democracy into my research because of the 2013 Hazaras protest in Balochistan, Pakistan, which incorporated the use of online digital platforms. Online posts and engagement eventually resulted in the dissolution of the local government.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept of \u201cdigital democracy\u201d has gained traction in recent scholarship, often described as a transformative force capable of revolutionizing governance and citizen engagement. Shazia\u2019s work exemplifies this potential, offering insights into how marginalized communities leverage technology for political agency and global visibility.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer selection as Digital Democracy Fellow underscores Georgia Tech\u2019s commitment to interdisciplinary research and highlights The Carter Center\u2019s ongoing efforts to support democratic engagement through technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShazia will be working closely with Anthony DeMattee, Ph.D., a data scientist in The Carter Center Democracy Program. She is advised by Amit Prasad, professor of sociology in the School of History and Sociology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis Fellowship represents the significant partnership between IPaT and the Democracy Program at The Carter Center, centered on the digital transformations of democratic practice,\u201d said Michael Best, executive director of IPaT. \u201cShazia\u2019s research will focus on how social media platforms have reshaped the politics of a community that is too often overlooked.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShazia, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Georgia Tech, has been named the recipient of The Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellowship for the 2025\u20132026 academic year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Shazia, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Georgia Tech, has been named the recipient of The Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellowship for the 2025\u20132026 academic year. "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2025-10-22 15:31:16","changed_gmt":"2025-10-22 16:05:10","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678414":{"id":"678414","type":"image","title":"Shazia","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShazia\u003C\/strong\u003E, the Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellow, with \u003Cstrong\u003EMichael Best\u003C\/strong\u003E, Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1761146881","gmt_created":"2025-10-22 15:28:01","changed":"1761147016","gmt_changed":"2025-10-22 15:30:16","alt":"Shazia, the Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellow, with Michael Best, Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology","file":{"fid":"262438","name":"IMG_3457-Shazia-Mike-smaller.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/22\/IMG_3457-Shazia-Mike-smaller.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/22\/IMG_3457-Shazia-Mike-smaller.png","mime":"image\/png","size":4354131,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/22\/IMG_3457-Shazia-Mike-smaller.png?itok=Vh-0TWnG"}}},"media_ids":["678414"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}