Tewodros Workneh

Téwodros (Teddy) Workneh, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Global Communication at Kent State University. Before joining Kent State, Téwodros worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. He also served as a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Arba Minch University, in Ethiopia. 

Téwodros graduated with a Bachelor of Education in English from Dilla College of Teacher Education and Health Sciences in Ethiopia in 2004 and earned a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia in 2007. In 2014, he went on to earn his doctoral degree in media studies with a concentration in international communication from the University of Oregon. Téwodros has taught courses such as Intercultural Communication, International Communication, Communication Research Methods and Communication Theories since joining Kent State University in August 2016. He has also taught graduate seminars including Theories of Communication and Intercultural and International Communication.

Téwodros’s research agenda broadly looks at global media flows and the role of transnational media industries in the production, distribution and consumption of communication resources through critical political economy and postcolonial approaches. Specifically, his research has examined historical and contemporary tenets of state-media relations in Ethiopia and amongst the Ethiopian diaspora from policymaking, legislative, and regulatory standpoints. His most recent studies have interrogated culinary adventure reality television shows and the portrayal of African destinations and foodways. Téwodros’s articles have appeared on reputable peer-reviewed journals with interdisciplinary foci including The International Journal of Communication, Communication, Culture & Critique, Journalism Studies, and Review of African Political Economy.

For more, visit my personal website here and my Google Scholar profile here.

Recent publications

Workneh, T. W., & Steeves, H. L. (2020). State monopoly of telecommunications in Ethiopia: Revisiting natural monopoly in the era of deregulation. In R. Nichols & G. Martinez (Eds.), Political economy of media industries: Global transformations and challenges (pp. 127–147). New York & London: Routledge.

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Exotica Africana: Interrogating African otherness in Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1634484

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Journalistic autonomy in Voice of America’s Amharic service: Actors, deterrents, and safeguards. Journalism Studies, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1634484

Workneh, T. W., & Steeves, H. L. (2019). Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in Africa: Cultural brokerage, “going native,” and colonial nostalgia. International Journal of Communication, 13, 5525–5547. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/11895

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Counter-terrorism in Ethiopia: Manufacturing insecurity, monopolizing speech. Internet Policy Review, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.1.1394