Amira Karaoud

Karaoud is a multimedia journalist and visual anthropologist. Her passion lies in uncovering the intricate interplay between agency, gender dynamics, and identity formation, all against the backdrop of movement—both the everyday life and the transcendent journeys across borders.

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Having traversed more than 60 countries and inhabited three continents, movement is not just a theme but a foundational element in Karaoud's artistic expression. Her work thrives on the discovery of tight-knit communities, where authenticity flourishes and connections are forged within subcultures.

Karaoud's current anthropological endeavour in Senegal explores how movement, particularly in the realm of performing arts, illuminates the essence of self. Collaborating closely with African Diaspora women performing artists, she crafts Virtual Reality dance films that serve as windows into the subtle nuances of personal identity revealed through movement.

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Karaoud's contributions have garnered acclaim across multiple domains, earning her numerous prizes and grants in both journalism and the arts. Her journalistic endeavours have graced the pages of international publications such as Reuters, PBS, CNN, and Bloomberg, spanning continents from the US to Africa. Her work extends beyond the production of visual narrative and written word, with notable appearances on podcasts like Foreign Policy's "The Negotiator" and collaborations with NPR radio programs in the US and other radios/ podcasts in Nigeria and Tunisia. In the realm of visual storytelling, Karaoud's impact is equally profound. Her evocative photography has been recognised by esteemed institutions like the British Journal of Photography, where her work was featured in the "2023 Portrait of Humanity" book. Notably, her coverage of the eviction crisis in the US earned her the coveted CNN Picture of the Year award in 2021. In 2023 she received recognition from the Kentucky Foundation of Women for her 2022 reporting on Afghan migration settlement in Bowling Green, Kentucky, small-town America, for Reuters. 

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Beyond her creative pursuits, Karaoud is dedicated to academic inquiry, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology, Media, and Performance. She actively contributes to the conversation on inequality and racial questions in the UK as a member of the University of Manchester’s steering committee of Cnetre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) Early Career Race Network.