Degrees Held
- Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, University of Surrey (UK), 2007
- PhD Cultural Research, Lancaster University (UK), 2004
- MA Contemporary Literary Studies (Distinction), Lancaster University (UK), 2000
- BA (Honours) English (First Class), Lancaster University (UK), 1999
Research Interests
- Cultural Studies
- Mobilities Research
- Critical and Cultural Theory
- Critical Pedagogy
- Critical Food Studies
- South African Television Studies
- Mobile Media Studies in Africa
- Anglophone South African Literature
Teaching Interests
- Cultural Studies
- Mobile Media and Communication
- Popular Culture
- Material Culture
- Visual Culture
- Cultural Memory
- Cultural Tourism
Research Record /
Selected Publications
Books
Journal Articles
Chapters In Books
Books
- Iqani, M. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) (2026) The Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa: Media, Nourishment, Inequality. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- McCracken, D., Teer-Tomaselli, R., Gibson, S. and McCracken, P.A. (Eds.) (2025) Africa, Ireland and Beyond: Essays of Diaspora and Linkage. Published as part of the Southern African – Irish Studies series (Volume 5: Series 2, Number 2). Durban: BK Bookbinders.
- Germann Molz, J. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) (2007) Mobilizing Hospitality: The Ethics of Social Relations in a Mobile World. Aldershot: Ashgate. Reprinted 2016 by Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315595795
Journal Articles
- Gibson, S. (2024) ‘Racialised Railway Mobilities: Repression and Resistance in the Anglophone South African Short Story during the Drum Decade’, English Studies in Africa 67(2), pp. 108-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/00138398.2024.2377913
- Gibson, S. and Pearce, L. (2023) ‘Mobilities and Pedagogy: Moving Forwards’, Transfers: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies 13(3), pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3167/TRANS.2023.130302
- Gibson, S. (2023) ‘Mobilising Cultural Studies: The Pedagogy of Walking, Fieldtrips and the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields Route’ Transfers: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies 13(1/2), pp. 32-54 http://doi.org/10.3167/TRANS.2023.13010204
- Gibson, S. and Pearce, L. (2023) ‘Introduction: Mobilities and Pedagogy’, Transfers: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies 13(1/2), pp. 3-12. http://doi.org/10.3167/TRANS.2023.13010202
- Singh, U., Naidoo, M., Mtapuri, O., Petrus, R., Gibson, S. and Arek-Bawa, O. (2023) ‘Investigating the Impact of Emergency Remote Assessment on Module Assessment Results: A Comparative Analysis’, Progressio: South African Journal for Open and Distance Learning Practice 44(1), 33 pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-5895/10969
- Gibson, S. (2018), ‘The Landscapes and Aesthetics of Soap Opera: Townships, Television and Tourism’, Journal of African Cinemas, 10(1-2), pp. 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1386/jac.10.1-2.95_1
- Gibson, S. (2013) ‘Testimony in a Culture of Disbelief: Asylum Hearings and the Impossibility of Bearing Witness’, Journal for Cultural Research 17(1), pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2011.613221
- Gibson, S. (2009) ‘“The Curry Mile”: Placing Taste, Tasting Place in Manchester’, Moving Worlds: A Journal of Transcultural Writings 9(2), pp. 64-79.
- Gibson, S. (2007) ‘Food Mobilities: Traveling, Dwelling, and Eating Cultures’, Space and Culture 10(1), pp. 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331206296756
- Gibson, S. (2006) ‘“The Hotel Business is about Strangers”: Border Politics and Hospitable Spaces in Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things’, Third Text 20(6), pp. 693-701. https://doi.org/10.1080/09528820601069631
- Gibson, S. (2006) ‘A Seat with a View: Tourism, (Im)Mobility, and the Cinematic-Travel Glance’, Tourist Studies 6(2), pp. 157-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797606071475
- Gibson, S. (2004) ‘English Journeys: the tourist, the guidebook, and the motorcar in The Remains of the Day’, Journeys: The International Journal of Travel and Travel Writing 5(2), pp. 43-71. https://doi.org/10.3167/jys.2004.05020
- Gibson, S. (2003) ‘Accommodating Strangers: British Hospitality and the Asylum Hotel Debate’, Journal for Cultural Research 7(4), pp. 367-386. https://doi.org/10.1080/1479758032000165039
Chapters In Books
- Gibson, S. and Iqani, M. (2026) ‘Never Just Food: An Introduction to the Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa.’ In Iqani, M. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) The Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa: Media, Nourishment, Inequality. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Gibson, S. (2026) ‘Recipes for the Rainbow Nation: Community and Commensality in the 7de Laan Soap Fan Cookbooks.’ In Iqani, M. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) The Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa: Media, Nourishment, Inequality. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Haffenden, S., Durden, E., and Gibson, S. (2026) ‘Expanding Audiences or Limiting Them? The Dilemma of Local Participation in an Online Covid-19 Prevention Campaign.’ In Le Clue, N., Duncan, C. and Vermaak-Griessel, J. (Eds.) From Digital to Mainstream: South African Perspectives on Participatory Media Cultures. Leeds: Emerald Publishers, pp.83-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-146-120251006
- Webster, K. and Gibson, S. (2026) ‘Visual Storytelling and Self-Expression as Participation on Instagram: Negotiating and Constructing Feminine Gendered Identities.’ In Le Clue, N., Duncan, C. and Vermaak-Griessel, J. (Eds.) From Digital to Mainstream: South African Perspectives on Participatory Media Cultures. Leeds: Emerald Publisher, pp. 7-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-146-120251002
- Mukamana, J., Durden, E., and Gibson, S. (2025) ‘Communicating Abortion in the Mass Media: A Literature Review of the Challenges and Possibilities.’ In Jjuuko, M., Omland, S., and Azungi Dralega, C. (Eds.) Gender and Media Representation: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa. Leeds: Emerald Publishers, pp. 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83608-406-820251008
- Essel, E., Govender, E. and Gibson, S. (2024) ‘Using Community Radio to Communicate COVID-19 among Marginalized Communities: A Case Study of Radio Peace’ in Henaku, N., Agbozo, G.E., & Nartey, M. (Eds.) (2024) Communicative Perspectives on Covid-19 in Ghana: At the Intersection of Culture, Science, Religion and Politics. London: Routledge, pp. 128-143. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003330042-12
- Gibson, S., Dyll, L., Govender, E., and Gumede, M. (2023) ‘Communication in Society: Health Communication and Cultural Studies’ in Angelopulo, G. and Lubinga, E. (Eds.) (2023) An Introduction to Communication Studies. 3rd edition. Cape Town: Juta, pp. 345-367.
- Gibson, S. (2021) “South Africa Laughs in the Face of Coronavirus”: Presidential Addresses, Face Masks, and Memetic Humour’, in Lewis, M., Govender, E., and Holland, K. (Eds.) Communicating COVID-19: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 277-298. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79735-5_14
- Gibson, S., Dyll, L., and Teer-Tomaselli, R. (2020) ‘Entertaining the Nation: Incentivising Indigenous Soap Opera in South Africa’, in Sigismondi, P. (Ed.) World Entertainment Media: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives. London: Routledge, pp. 142-152. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315106298
- Gibson, S. (2019) ‘Railing against Apartheid: Staffrider, Township Trains, and Racialized Mobility in South Africa’, in Aguiar, M., Mathieson, C., and Pearce, L. (Eds.) Mobilities, Literature, Culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 35-63. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27072-8_2
- Gibson, S. (2007) ‘“Abusing Our Hospitality”: Inhospitableness and the Politics of Deterrence’ in Germann Molz, J. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) Mobilizing Hospitality: The Ethics of Social Relations in a Mobile World. Aldershot: Ashgate, pp. 159-174. Reprinted 2016 by Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315595795-10/abusing-hospitality-inhospitableness-politics-deterrence-sarah-gibson
- Germann Molz, J. and Gibson, S. (2007) ‘Introduction: Mobilizing and Mooring Hospitality’ in Germann Molz, J. and Gibson, S. (Eds.) Mobilizing Hospitality: The Ethics of Social Relations in a Mobile World. Aldershot: Ashgate, pp. 1-25. Reprinted 2016 by Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315595795-1/introduction-mobilizing-mooring-hospitality-jennie-germann-molz-sarah-gibson
Community Involvement
- (2024 – Present) The Global Undergraduate Awards Programme, Judge for the Mass Communication category https://undergraduateawards.com/
- (2021 – Present) ARROW-SA (Art as a Resource for Reconciliation Over the World in South Africa), Secretary and Management Committee Member (Reg 088-058 NPO) https://arrowsa.blogspot.com/
- (2023) Durban Local History Museums Passbook Competition, Judge
- (2020 – 2023) The Global Undergraduate Awards Programme, Judge for the Social Sciences: Anthropology and Cultural Studies category https://undergraduateawards.com/
Teaching Expertise
- Cultural Studies
- Popular Culture
- Critical and Cultural Theory
- Qualitative Research Methodologies
Student Supervision
Honours
Masters
PhD
Honours
- Honours students successfully supervised on the following research projects:
- Representing and Consuming the Local: Exploring the Production and Reception of Uzalo
- Culture and Heritage: Representations of the Past
- Social Media and Participatory Cultures
- Judge a Magazine by its Cover? Analysing identity construction through South African Fashion Magazine Front Covers
Masters
- Musekwa Mashinge-Jeche (2025) The Domestication of Smartphones: An exploration of the cultural meanings attached to smartphones by rural young people in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Zainab Khan (2025) Exploring the Subject Formation of Muslim Female Students through Fashion at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
- Kayley Jade Webster (2024) ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Instagrammer’: A Walk-Through Approach Exploring Narratives of Female Beauty on Instagram among Durban University Students.
- Sarah Haffenden (2024) Exploring the Reception of Global Health Campaigns at a Local Level: A study of the WHO Handwashing #SafeHands challenge social media campaigns for COVID-19 on Twitter.
- Luyanda Makoba (2021) The Decoding of Menstruation Management Advertisements by Post-Menarcheal Female Adolescents in the eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.
- Ajimakin Ifedayo (2019) Facebook and Students: the motivation for use and its effects on undergraduate students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- Tselane Mofokeng (2018) Representing the Empowered Black Woman: A Semiotic Analysis of True Love and Destiny
- Poloko Mokonehatse (2018) Social Media Activism: An Analysis of the #RhodesMustFall campaign on Twitter.
- Janet Onuh (2018) The Representation of ‘The Matriarch’ in South African Telenovelas: A Case Study of
PhD
- Dr Jeanne d’Arc Mukamana (2025) An Analysis of Coverage of the Decriminalization of Abortion for Minors on Non-State Radio stations in Rwanda.
- Dr Ringford Mwelwa (2025) The Role of Mobile Media in Adolescents’ Access to Sexual Reproductive Health Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Four Selected Secondary Schools in Lusaka, Zambia.
- Dr Ursula Vooght (2023) Rethinking Fidelity in Adaptation: An application of Badiou’s concept of ‘fidelity’ in the service of ‘truth’ to film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
- Dr Damien Tomaselli (2020) Cosmology of the Relativistic Multi-Modal Chronotope: Materialising Spacetime Flesh to the Veins of Film (The Crow), Gaming (The Last of Us), Virtual Reality (Batman PS4) and Motion Books (Mono & Labyrinth of Lacuna).
- Dr Brenda Bukowa (2020) Networked Participatory Cultures in Lusaka, Zambia: How Teenagers Experience Social Media and Mobile Phones.