Dr Joseph Downing is author of “French Muslims in Perspective” (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-16103-3) and “Social Media and Security” (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-20734-1). He is senior lecturer in politics and IR at Aston University. Previously he was fellow in nationalism in the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Marie-Curie fellow at the Laboratoire méditerranéen de sociologie, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille Marseille and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 

He is an expert on French politics and security and social media and politics.

Joseph Downing received his PhD from the European Institute, London School of Economics in 2014. His thesis ‘Between Policy, Recognition and Rioting: Analyzing the role of urban governance, historical commemoration and public culture in defining inclusion in Marseille, Paris and Lyon’ involved significant fieldwork in France. He was awarded the AHRC block grant “European Languages and Culture” full scholarship for the 2009-2012 period and taught widely on security, politics, sociology and international relations at the LSE.