Vita

• Since July 2023 research associate in the project "Contested Order of Emotions: (Anti-)Feminist Discourses on Social Media" of the CRC "Affective Societies", Freie Universität Berlin
• 2019–2023 research associate in the project "Journalism and the Order of Emotions" of the CRC "Affective Societies", Freie Universität Berlin

Studies

• 2016–2019 Media and Political Communication M.A., Freie Universität Berlin

Master thesis title: "Narratives of International Crisis in 280 Characters. A content analysis of Russian and British diplomatic Twitter accounts following the Novichok attack in Salisbury, UK in March 2018". Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Juliana Raupp.

• 2013–2016 Communication Studies and Sociology B.A., Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich

Scholarships

• 2012–2016 DAAD-scholarship for graduates of German schools abroad

Memberships

International Communication Association (ICA)

European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)

TWG Affect, Emotion & Media (ECREA)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (DGPuK)

The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), Standing Group on Extremism and Democracy

Summer term 2020

• Emotionen im Journalismus (with Dr. Débora Medeiros)

Summer term 2024

• Feminist and antifeminist discourse in (social) media (with Annabella Backes)

Research

• Since 07/2023: Project "Contested Order of Emotions: (Anti-)Feminist Discourses on Social Media" of the CRC "Affective Societies", Freie Universität Berlin
• 2019–2023: Project "Journalism and the Order of Emotions" of the CRC "Affective Societies" Freie Universität Berlin

Research Topics

• Affect and Emotion
• Far-right Publics on Social Media
• Media and Migration
• Crisis Communication
• Gender Media Studies

Refereed Articles

• Makhashvili, A., Medeiros, D., & Lünenborg, M. (2022). Challenging Journalistic Authority in the Networked Affective Dynamics of #Chemnitz. Social Media + Society, 8(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221146185

• Medeiros, D., & Makhashvili, A. (2022). United in Grief? Emotional Communities around the Far-Right Terror Attack in Hanau on TV and Twitter. Media and Communication, 10(3), 39–49.  https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i3.5438

Book Chapters

• Makhashvili, A. (2024). Hijacking Solidarity: Affective Networking of Far-Right Publics on Twitter. In M. Lünenborg & B. Röttger-Rössler (Eds.), Affective Formation of Publics: Places, Networks, and Media (pp. 149–172). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003365426

Lectures

• Makhashvili, A. (2025, 5–7 March). Imitating Counterpublics: Understanding Affect in Far-Right Mobilization on X [Conference presentation]. HEPP5 Emotions, Populism and Polarized Politics , University of Helsinkin, Finland.

• Makhashvili, A. (2025, 13–14 February). Umkämpfte Öffentlichkeiten: Affektive Dynamiken in sozialen Medien [Conference presentation]. Transformation der gesellschaftlichen Verständigungsordnung, Hamburg, Germany.

• Makhashvili, A. (2024, July 4–5). Hashtags as Signifiers of Affect? Analyzing Co-occurrence Networks in Far-Right Discourse on Twitter (X) [Conference presentation]. Understanding Mobilization on Social Media: Methodological Approaches to Activists’ Affective and Networking Practices, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

• Backes, A., Lünenborg, M., & Makhashvili, A. (2024, March 13–15). Jenseits von Argumenten? Affekttheoretische Konzepte von Öffentlichkeiten am Beispiel (anti-)feministischer Diskurse [Conference presentation]. 69th Annual Conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK): "Visions for the 'good life'. Media and Communication in Tomorrow's Society“, University of Erfurt, Germany.

• Makhashvili, A. (2023, Dezember 7). Hijacking Solidarity: Affective Networking of Far-Right Publics on Twitter. Lecture series of the project "UNPOP. Comparing the formation of emotion narratives and their effects on political behaviour", University of Coimbra, Portugal.

• Medeiros, D., Makhashvili, A., & Lünenborg, M. (2022, May 26–30). Negotiating Journalism's Boundaries within the Networked Affective Publics Around the Far-Right Terror Attack in Hanau [Conference presentation]. ICA 2022: One World, One Network?, Paris, France.

• Makhashvili, A. (2022, April 29). Hijacking Solidarity: The Networked and Affective Dynamics of Far-Right Publics on Twitter [Conference presentation]. Media and Publics Conference, Roskilde University, Denmark.

• Makhashvili, A., & Lünenborg, M. (2021, May 27–31). Affective Publics on Twitter: Contesting Journalism’s Authority [Conference presentation]. ICA 2021: Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice, online.

• Makhashvili, A., & Lünenborg, M. (2021, April 7–9). #Chemnitz and its Polarized Affective Publics [Conference presentation]. DACH21: #Kommunikation #(R)Evolution: Zum Wandel der Kommunikation in der digitalen Gesellschaft, online.

• Lünenborg, M., Medeiros, & D., Makhashvili, A. (2020, December 2). Journalismus herausgefordert: Konkurrierende Affektdramaturgien um #Chemnitz. Lecture Series “Mobility Affects”, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

Other

• Algorithmic media and the becoming ir/rational of affect. A book review. SFB Affective Societies Blog, October 2021.

• with Medeiros, D.: The affective economy of anxiety or how the German far right capitalizes on Covid-19. SFB Affective Societies Blog, September 2020.