David Morley鈥檚 interdisciplinary work spans media audience/technology studies, cultural geography and globalisation. He has held visiting Professorships/Fellowships at universities in Australia, China, France, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and the United States. His work has been translated into 22 languages.
As a member of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Birmingham, he worked with Stuart Hall to develop empirical research based on the paradigm-setting encoding/decoding model of media audiences. He has subsequently co-edited two critical collections of Hall`s work ('Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies`, 1996 and `Conversations, Projects and Legacies` 2016), and most recently he has edited the two-volume set of Hall鈥檚 `Essential Essays` (Vol 1 `The Foundations of Cultural Studies`; Vol 2 `Identity and Diaspora`) to be published by Duke University Press in 2019.
At CCCS he pioneered the development of anthropological and ethnographic techniques in audience/technology studies (see `Towards an Ethnography of Media Audiences` 1974). His work helped to set the conceptual agenda for the study of media consumption internationally, focussing initially on questions of class (in the widely influential `Nationwide Audience` ,1978), and later on questions of gender and domesticity, in studies of the household uses of information and communication technology (`Family Television` 1986)
His subsequent work in cultural geography (`Spaces of Identity` 1996, ; `Home Territories` 2000 and `Media Modernity and Technology` 2006) encompasses macro questions about the role of satellite television , the Internet and the mobile phone in the constitution of the electronic landscapes within which we now live. His latest book `` (2016) investigates the changing articulation of virtual and material geographies It seeks to offer a grounded critique of the paradigms of `nomadology` which have come to dominate contemporary work on phenomena such as `techno-globalisation` and `de-territorialisation` and re-examines ideas of home, community, place and territory, in the context of the spread of identity panics and the tightening of borders, across the globe.
He is the editor of the Comedia book series for Routledge and is on the Editorial/Advisory Boards of a number of journals, including Cultural Studies, The European Journal of Cultural Studies, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies and Television and New Media
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Publications and research outputs
Book
Morley, David G.. 2017. Communications and Mobility: The Migrant, the Mobile Phone, and the Container Box. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781405192019
Morley, David G.. 2007. Media, Modernity and Technology: the Geography of the New. Routledge. ISBN 9780415333429
Morley, David G. and Curran, James P.. 2006. Media and Cultural Theory. Routledge. ISBN 9780415317054
Morley, David G. and Robins, K.. 2001. British Cultural Studies: Geography, Nationality, and Identity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198742061
Morley, David G. and Robins, Kevin. 1996. Spaces of Identity: Global Media, Electronic Landscapes and Cultural Boundaries. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415095969
Morley, David G.. 1992. Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415054454
Morley, David G.. 1986. Family Television: Cultural Power and Domestic Leisure. Comedia. ISBN 978-0415039703
Morley, David G.. 1980. The Nationwide Audience. British Film Institute. ISBN 978-0851700977
Brunsdon, Charlotte and Morley, David G.. 1978. Everyday Television: Nationwide. British Film Institute. ISBN 978-0851700809
Edited Book
Morley, David G., ed. 2019. Stuart Hall: Essential Essays Volume 1 - Foundations of Cultural Studies. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 9781478000938
Morley, David G., ed. 2019. Stuart Hall: Essential Essays Volume 2 - Identity and Diaspora. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 9781478001638
Henriques, Julian F. and Morley, David G., eds. 2018. Stuart Hall: Conversations, Projects and Legacies. London: Goldsmiths Press. ISBN 9781906897475
Morley, David G., ed. 2000. Home Territories: Media, Mobility and Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415157643
Morley, David G. and Chen, Kuan-Hsing, eds. 1996. Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415088039
Book Section
Morley, David G.. 2026. De-Provincialising Media and Communications: Frictions in the New World Disorder. In: A Hill; S Dawes; C Geraghty and J Hermes, eds. Media Frictions. Abingdon: Routledge.
Sabry, Tarik and Morley, David G.. 2025. Post-Colonial Media Studies in a Fractured World: A Dialogue with David Morley. In: Tarik Sabry; Winston Mano and Andrea Medrado, eds. Decolonising Approaches to Users and Audiences in the Global South: Context, Theory and Method. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 47-68. ISBN 9781032590387
Morley, David G.. 2024. Constituting the Techno-Normal: The Practices of Everyday Media Consumption. In: Annette Hill and Peter Lunt, eds. The Routledge Companion to Media Audiences. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 24-35. ISBN 9781032214665
Morley, David G. and Hartmann, Maren. 2023. A dialogue on domestication. In: Maren Hartmann, ed. The Routledge Handbook of Media and Technology Domestication. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 70-86. ISBN 9781032184142
Morley, David G.. 2022. How Will the Future Cope With(out) Television? In: Joanna Zylinska, ed. The Future of Media. London: Goldsmiths Press, pp. 81-95. ISBN 9781913380144
Morley, David G.. 2021. Mobile Socialities: Communities, Mobilities and Boundaries. In: Annette Hill; Maren Hartmann and Magnus Andersson, eds. The Routledge Handbook of Mobile Socialities. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 22-37. ISBN 9780367543976
Morley, David G.. 2021. Introduction Part I. In: Annette Hill; Maren Hartmann and Magnus Andersson, eds. The Routledge Handbook of Mobile Socialities. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 19-21. ISBN 9780367543976
Morley, David G.. 2020. No Place Like Birmingham? The Politics of Immobility, Invisibility, and Resentment. In: Nicky van Es; Stijn Reijnders; Leonieke Bolderman and Abby Waysdorf, eds. Locating Imagination in Popular Culture: Place, Tourism and Belonging. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 51-66. ISBN 9780367492625
Morley, David G.. 2018. The Politics of Theory and Method in Cultural Studies. In: Julian F. Henriques; David G. Morley and Vana Goblot, eds. Stuart Hall: Conversations, Projects and Legacies. London: Goldsmiths Press, pp. 47-53. ISBN 9781906897475
Drakuli膰, Slavenka; Morley, David G.; Krajina, Zlatan and Blanu拧a, Neboj拧a. 2016. Can Western Europe be at home in the Balkans? In: Zlatan Krajina and Neboj拧a Blanu拧a, eds. EU, Europe, Unfinished: Mediating Europe and the Balkans in a Time of Crisis. London: Rowman & Littlefield International, pp. 217-238. ISBN 9781783489787
Morley, David G.. 2014. On living in a techno-globalised world: Questions of history and geography. In: UNSPECIFIED, ed. Technological Determinism and Social Change. 30 (2) Lexington, pp. 61-65. ISBN 0739191241
Morley, David G.. 2011. Electronic Landscapes: Between the Virtual and the Actual. In: M Christensen; A Jansson and C Christensen, eds. Online Territories: Globalisation, Mediated Prartice and Social Space. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 273-290. ISBN 978-1-433-10797-9
Morley, David G.. 2010. Television as a Means of Transport: Digital Teletechnologies and Transmodal Systems. In: Jostein Gripsrud, ed. Relocating Television: Television in the Digital Context. London: Routledge, pp. 257-270. ISBN 978-0-415-56453-3
Morley, David G.. 2009. Canons, Orthodoxies, Ghosts and Dead Satues. In: Ladina Bezzola Lambert and Andrea Ochsner, eds. Moment to Monument: The Making and Unmaking of Cultural Significance. Biedenfeld: Transcript Verlag, pp. 209-222. ISBN 978-3-889-42962-6
Morley, David G.. 2007. The Alternative Press - Press and Publishing. In: Kate Coyer; Tony Dowmunt and Alan Fountain, eds. The Alternative Media Handbook. London: Routledge, pp. 47-58. ISBN 978-0415359658
Morley, David G.. 2007. The News from Birmingham 鈥� How Media Studies got a Brummejum Accent` and `Re-Conceptualisng the Media Audience'. In: Ann Gray, ed. Cultural Studies (2 vols). Routledge.
Morley, David G.. 2006. `Unaswered Questions in Audience Research`. In: Isabelle Charpentier, ed. Comment sont re莽ues les oeuvres : Actualit茅s des recherches en sociologie de la r茅ception et des publics. Paris: Editions Cr茅aphis. ISBN 978-2913610736
Morley, David G.. 2005. `Belongings: Place, Space and Identity` (in Spanish translation). In: Leonor Arfuch, ed. Pensar Este Tiempo. Buenos Aires: Paidos. ISBN 978-9501265521
Morley, David G.. 2005. Globalisation and cultural imperialism re-considered: old questions in new guises. In: James P. Curran and David G. Morley, eds. Media and Cultural Theory. Routledge, pp. 30-43. ISBN 978-0415317054
Morley, David G.. 2005. Communication technologies and the re-configuration of Europe. In: Valentina Vitali and Paul Willemen, eds. Theorising National Cinema. BFI Publishing. ISBN 978-1844571208
Morley, David G.. 2005. The domestication of the media and the dis-location of domesticity. In: Thomas Berker, ed. The Domestication of Media and Technology. Open University Press, pp. 21-39. ISBN 978-0335217687
Article
Morley, David G.. 2025. Hermann Bausinger (1926鈥�2021): An appreciation. European Journal of Cultural Studies, ISSN 1367-5494
Morley, David G.. 2015. Audience Studies: Class, Technology and Politics (Les Ancrages Sociaux de la Reception). Politiques de Communication, 4(1), pp. 19-35. ISSN 2271-068X
Morley, David G. and Christensen, Miyase. 2014. New Media, New Crises, New Theories? An Interview with David Morley. Popular Communication, 12(4), pp. 208-222. ISSN 1540-5702
Morley, David G.. 2014. Cultural Studies, Common Sense and Communications. Cultural Studies, 29(1), pp. 23-31. ISSN 0950-2386
Krajina, Zlatan; Moores, Shaun and Morley, David G.. 2014. Non-media-centric media studies: A Cross-generational conversation. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 17(6), pp. 1-19. ISSN 1367-5494
Morley, David G.. 2013. David Morley Interview - 3 June 2011. Cultural Studies, 27(5), pp. 833-845. ISSN 0950-2386
Morley, David G.. 2012. Television, Technology and Culture: A Contextualist Approach. The Communication Review, 15(2), pp. 79-105. ISSN 1071-4421
Morley, David G.. 2011. Communications and Transport: The mobility of information, people and commodities. Media, Culture & Society, 33(5), pp. 743-759. ISSN 0163-4437
Morley, David G.. 2011. Decoding , diaspora and disjuncture - Arjun Appadurai in dialogue with David Morley. New Formations, 73, pp. 44-55. ISSN 0950-2378
Morley, David G. and Jin, Huimin. 2011. British Cultural Studies, Active Audiences and the Status of Cultural Theory : An Interview With David Morley. Theory, Culture and Society, 28(4), pp. 124-144.
Morley, David G.. 2009. Mediated Class-ifications: Representations of Class and Culture in Contemporary British Television. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 12(4), pp. 487-508. ISSN 1367-5494
Morley, David G.. 2007. Istanbul Tales: Autobiography and the City. Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture, 37, ISSN 1362-6620
Morley, David G.. 2006. Unanswered Questions in Audience research. The Communication Review, 9(2), pp. 101-121. ISSN 10714421
Morley, David G.. 2003. What`s Home got to do with it? European Journal of Cultural Studies, 6(4), pp. 435-458. ISSN 1367-5494
Morley, David G.. 2001. Belongings 鈥� space , place and identity in a mediated world. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 4(4), pp. 425-448. ISSN 1367-5494
Conference or Workshop Item
Morley, David G.. 2015. 'Cultural Studies in the Arab World'. In: Talk. Beirut Art Centre, Lebanon.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'The Question of Theory in Cultural Studies'. In: Stuart Hall; Conversations, Projects and Legacies. 樱桃视频, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'The Encoding/Decoding Model Revisited'. In: Centre for Cultural Studies 鈥楰ey Texts` Seminar Series. 樱桃视频, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'The Politics of Theory and Abstraction'. In: Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies 50 Years On. University of Birmingham, United Kingdom 24-25 June 2014.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'Reconceptualisng The Media Audience'. In: Goldsmiths Media Ethnography Conference. 樱桃视频, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'Media Studies and Cultural Studies'. In: Lecture. University of Rijeka, Croatia.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'Beyond the Universal Technoverse'. In: Festival of Subversive Ideas. Zagreb, Croatia.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'Stuart Hall's Media Studies'. In: Lecture. University of Brighton, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2014. 'Techno-Globalisation: Virtual and Material Geographies; The Politics of Mobile Technologies'. In: Lecture Series. Department of Communications, Bahecesir University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Morley, David G.. 2013. 'Technologies, Geographies and Mobilities in Contemporary Europe'. In: Media Mobility and Europe. School of Advanced Studies/University of Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Morley, David G.. 2013. 'Media Audiences and Cultural Power 鈥� Methodological Considerations'. In: Lecture. Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Illusions of the Techno-Global; From Communications to Culture'. In: Lecture Series. Faculty of Social Science, Charles University, Czech Republic.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Recent Trends in UK Cultural Studies'. In: ACSIS Conference, Current Issues in European Cultural Studies. N酶rkopping, Sweden.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Tea and/or Electricity - ethnographic films and new communications technologies in North Africa'. In: Lecture. London Centre for Social Studies, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Technologies, Territories and Mobilities'. In: Guest Lecture. Universita L'Orientale, Italy.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Geographies, Territories and Cultural Flow'. In: Media Geographies Conference. Universita L'Orientale, Italy.
Morley, David G.. 2012. 'Interviewing 鈥� Problems and Prospects'. In: ESRC Doctoral Training Scheme. QMC, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2011. 'Technologies of Communication: a Contextualist Approach'. In: 100 years of Communication. Cairo University, Egypt.
Morley, David G.. 2011. 'Communications and Mobilities'. In: German Media Studies Association Annual Conference. University of Erfurt, Germany.
Morley, David G.. 2011. 'Technologies, Territories and Mobilities'. In: Lecture at Centre for Research In Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2011. 'British Cultural Studies Today'. In: Association of Cultural Studies Conference. N酶rkopping, Sweden.
Morley, David G.. 2011. 'Culture, Media and Technology'. In: Culture, Media and Technology. Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Morley, David G.. 2010. 'Audience Theory and the New Context of Cultural Studies'. In: Keynote Lecture. Beijing Language and Culture University, China.
Morley, David G.. 2010. 'Relinking : Communications and Transport Theory'. In: Lecture, Department of Culture and Communications. New York University, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2010. 'From Family Television to Home Territories'. In: Guest Lecture. Department of Communication, University of Madison, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2010. 'Media Modernity and Technology Revisited'. In: Guest Lecture. Department of Film and Television, University of Michigan, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2010. 'Communications and Materialism'. In: Annual Van Zelst Lecture. School of Radio, Film and TV, Northwestern University, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Mobilities, Borders and Technologies'. In: Guest Lecture at the Faculty of Law and Politics. University of Rennes, France.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Between the News and the News-less'. In: Institut du Presse Francaise. Paris, France.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'The Uses of 鈥楴ew鈥� Media ; The Anthropology of Technology; Globalisation as Cultural Imperialism'. In: Lecture Series. University of Paris II, France.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Migrant Cultures and New Mobilities'. In: Multicultural London. University of Westminster, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Globalisation, Regionalisation and Technology'. In: Lecture. Goethe Institute/University of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Technology Studies : a Contextualist Approach'. In: German Media Studies Annual Conference. Bremen, Germany.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'The British Origins of Cultural Studies'. In: Cultural Studies: Genese, Objets et Traditions. Pompidou Centre, France.
Morley, David G.. 2009. 'Cultural Studies and its (re)Incarnations'. In: Department of Cultural Studies. UC Riverside, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'Communications and Transport'. In: Digicult Conference. University of Paris II, France.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'Decoding Diaspora'. In: Migration/Diaspora AHRC Conference. University of Sterling, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'Cultural Studies and Reception Theory'. In: Bourdieu鈥檚 Legacies Conference. University of Toulouse, France.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'The Geography of Theory and the Place of Knowledge'. In: Global Cultural Studies Programme. UC Riverside, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'Cultural Studies 鈥� Methodological Dilemmas'. In: Department of Critical Studies. University of Southern California, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'New Times and New Spaces?'. In: New Times and New Spaces. School of Communications, University of Melbourne, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2008. 'Communications and Transport'. In: Towards a Materialist Communications Studies. Cultural Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Australia.
Morley, David G.. 2007. 'The Resistance of Material Geographies'. In: School of Cultural Studies Conference. Bilgi University, Turkey.
Morley, David G.. 2007. 'Media Studies Today'. In: Media Studies Today. Kadir Has University, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2007. 'TechnoZones'. In: International Humanities Centre. UC Santa Barbara, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2007. 'Alternative Modernities/Histories'. In: Cultures of Globalization. Internationales Forschungeszentrum Kulturwissenschaften, Vienna, Austria.
Morley, David G.. 2007. 'Canons, Orthodoxies and Dead Statues'. In: Moment to Monument Conference. University of Basle, Switzerland.
Morley, David G.. 2007. '鈥楾echnology and the Idea of Home鈥�'. In: Bartlett School of Planning. University College London, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2007. '鈥楴ew Media Theory 鈥� Some Problems鈥�'. In: University of Sunderland. Sunderland, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2007. '鈥楪lobalisation and Cultural Imperialism` and 鈥楢udience Research Today`'. In: Dept of Journalism and Communication, American University in Cairo. Cairo, Egypt.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'Media Technologies and their Uses'. In: Dept of Communications, Fordham University. New York, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'Material Globalisation: Shipping Matters鈥�'. In: `Homeland Securities` conference (New York University). New York, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'Techno-Rhetorics'. In: University of Gloucester. Gloucester, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'Regional Theories and Electronic Landscapes'. In: Crossroads in Cultural Studies Conference. Istanbul, Turkey.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'The Geography of the New'. In: Dept of Media Studies,University of Bremen. Bremen, Germany.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'Technologies of Magic'. In: Dept of Radio-Film-Television, NorthWestern University. Chicago, United States.
Morley, David G.. 2006. 'After Globalisation` and ` Heimat and Home'. In: Dept of Communication, Central European University. Budapest, Hungary.
Morley, David G.. 2005. 'Old perspectives on `new` technologies` 鈥楳obile Identities'. In: Conference Institute of Advanced Studies. Lancaster University, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 2005. 'Globalisation Today'. In: Network Societies and Post-Industrial Identities Conference. Eberhard Karls Universitat, Tuebingen, Germany.
Morley, David G.. 2005. 'Cultural studies and its regional forms'. In: Mexican Association of Mass Communications Researchers Workshop. Mexico City, Mexico.
Morley, David G.. 2005. 'Mediation, domestication and dis-location'. In: American Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference. London, United Kingdom.
Morley, David G.. 'Globalisation, Borders and Technologies'. In: Globalisation, Borders and Technologies. Hsinchu University, Insitute for Social Research and Cultural Studies, Taiwan, Province of China.
Broadcast
Morley, David G.. 2012. Cultural Studies and Subcultures in Eastern Europe.
Areas of supervision
PhD topics supervised include:
Media power, space and place
The cultural significance of MTV Europe
Cultural identity and communications technologies in Taiwan
Television, the public sphere and the representation of 鈥榬ace鈥� in the UK
Satellite television and youth culture in Thailand
Music and cultural identity in Korea
Multicultural broadcasting in Eastern Europe
Telenovelas and political culture in Mexico
Japanese migrant cultural experiences in New York and London
The circulation of 鈥榗ool鈥� between London and Tokyo
Transnational film culture is in Taiwan
The culture of the Jamaican reggae sound system
The Simpsons as inter-textual television
The ethnography of online music-file sharing
Media consumption in the Chinese diaspora
Technological competencies and media literacies
Transnational Television Consumption and Cultural Flows in East Asia;
Negotiating Public Screens in the Mediated City;
The Ethnography of Inuit conceptions of `internet`
