Ico Maly is associate professor @ Tilburg University (The Netherlands) and Editor-in-chief Diggit Magazine (www.diggitmagazine.com). He teaches Digital Media & Politics, Discourse Analysis & Digital Media and Interaction in Digital Culture. Maly wrote Metapolitics, Algorithms and Violence. Far-right activism and terrorism in the attention economy (2024, Routledge) and has published in many important journals in the fields of digital media, politics and culture among which: Social media + society, Language and Society, Journal of Political Ideologies, First Monday, Nations and Nationalism and the European Journal of Culture Studies. 

I'm a committed scholar and therefor I choose to also publish for a broad audience. I therefor choose to publish on open source platforms like Diggit Magazine, Sampol, Lava, Fair Observer and Lava. I also published several books in Dutch: De herschepping van de democratie (2024, EPO), Vooruit! Politieke vernieuwing, Digitale cultuur en socialisme (2021, EPO), Nieuw Rechts (New Right, Epo, 2018), De Hedendaagse Antiverlichting (Contemporary anti-Enlightenment, Epo, 2018) and Superdiversiteit in Oostende (Kif Kif, 2014),  N-VA | Analyse van een politieke ideologie (N-VA | Analysis of a political ideology) (EPO, 2012) and De Beschavingsmachine Wij en de islam. (The Civilization Machine. We and the Islam) (EPO, 2009). Together with Jan Blommaert and Joachim Ben Yakoub he wrote Superdiversiteit en democratie (Superdiversity & Democracy) (EPO, 2014). He also edited the award winning work Cultu(u)rENpolitiek. Over media, globalisering en culturele identiteiten. (Culture and Politics. About media, globalization and cultural identities.) (Garant, 2007). 

In my research I have a preference for an ethnographic discourse analytical approach and for research that has societal relevance. I see my research as informed by passionate rationalism, a tragic humanism and a strong commitment not only to understand society but help improve it.

In the last decade I focused on the new right and in particular how different new richt actors use digital media. In this context I wrote on new right activism, radical right politicians and parties and new right intellectuals.  

In the next decade I want to focus on algorithms, interaction and power from a digital discourse analytical approach. 

I (co-) supervise several phd's in relation to my main research topics

1. Inge Beekmans: Tech companies as anti-governments or
governments ‘anew’

2. Tarik Fraihi: The contemporary revolt of the radical reactionaries. On the uptake of Julius Evola’s political philosophy of fascism.

3. Omar Dweik: Israeli and Palestinian inter-subjective beliefs, how do culture, narratives and self- identification in the online space translate to preferences for peace models?

4. Bruno Porto: The Superhero Comic Book Cover: From the Newsstands to the Digital Age

5. Eviane Leidig (Post-doc): From Keyboard Warrior to Digital Army: Mapping Far-Right Networked Publics

Click here for my courses.