Align Media Lab

10/09/2026

Align Media Lab's AutoethnoGraphics initiative is pleased to publish our inaugural book, "The Stories We Carry: Self, Scar, Struggle", co-edited by Merlyna Lim and Kathy Dobson.

This is a genre-blending collection of narrative non-fiction essays from 22 contributors—academics, artists, journalists, and storytellers—who refuse to separate personal experience from scholarly inquiry.

The collection unfolds in three interconnected movements: Self, Scar, and Struggle, examining how identity is shaped through history, gender, embodiment, and migration; how trauma and exclusion leave lasting marks; and how survival requires ongoing negotiation with institutions, technology, and community. Each essay is accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations, making the personal visible and visceral.

The contributors challenge academic conventions that dismiss personal writing as less rigorous, arguing instead that the narrated self is a legitimate site of knowledge. Their stories address Islamophobia, poverty, colonialism, queerness, neurodivergence, immigration bureaucracy, and the politics of belonging. This is not a book seeking inclusion in broken institutions, but one that insists the table itself must be rebuilt. It asks readers to sit with complexity, contradiction, and the unfinished work of being human.

Get your copy here: https://darajapress.com/publication/the-stories-we-carry/

09/27/2026

In an essay for Verge: Studies in Global Asias Issue 12.2, Merlyna Lim develops the method of computational archipelagos with Indonesia as a case study!

09/02/2025

https://carleton.ca/align/2025/digital-activism-toolkit/

We are excited to share that our digital activism toolkit is now available in Indonesian, thanks to the thoughtful work of Anotasi. A heartfelt shout-out to Aya and Marissa, who not only translated with precision, but also infused the work with creativity, care, and solidarity. This toolkit is adapt...

10/16/2024

https://carleton.ca/align/2024/post-millennials-voices-issue-11-the-digital-in-2073-a-glimpse-into-the-future/
🚨 Issue 11 of Post/Millennial Voices is here! 🚨
We proudly present "The Digital in 2073: A Glimpse into the Future," an undergraduate special issue that takes you on a journey through our digital future! 🌐📱🧠 Edited by
MMerlyna Lim
🌟 Dive into Erika Ehrenberg’s utopian essay “From Revolution to Reconnection” 🌟 Explore a future where society overcomes technotrol’s grasp, embracing human values and flourishing with digital innovation!
🔍 Olivia L. Meikle’s “Futures Entwined” traces the internet’s journey from ARPANET to 2073’s monopolization. A sharp critique of how tech advancements deepen class divides. Will we resist or succumb?
🚨 “Techno-Tyranny” by Jake Andrews is a dystopian tale of humanity trapped by the very tech meant to save us. War, environmental collapse, and enslavement—can we avoid this grim future?
🏙️ In “The End of an Anti-Utopian Era,” Janelle Hamstra warns of urban decay and isolation driven by digital overdependence. Will our democratic values survive? A timely wake-up call for all.
📖 Sofia Ali closes with “The Diary from 2073,” a personal reflection on a digital nightmare. Once hopeful, now disillusioned—Ali argues for ethical tech design before it’s too late.
https://carleton.ca/align/2024/post-millennials-voices-issue-11-the-digital-in-2073-a-glimpse-into-the-future/

10/07/2024

Explore the most-up-to-date list of publications from ALiGN researchers and affiliates, Alrasheed, Dobson, Mitchell, Lim, Rigato (and their co-authors, if any), updated as of December 2023. Stay tuned for the release of 2024 publications coming soon!

2023 Alrasheed, G., Rigato, B., Hai, N., & Dur-e-Aden, A. (2023). Cultural Genocide, Mass Immigration, and the Kalergi Plan: Conceptualizations of

08/28/2024

From the Royal Society of Canada:

Join us on September 27th in Kingston for the Eastern Ontario Symposium, hosted by the RSC and Queen's University!

Hear from speakers Dr. Merlyna Lim (RSC College), Dr. Parvin Mousavi (RSC College), Dr. Margaret Moore (FRSC) and Dr. R. Kerry Rowe (FRSC), as they passionately discuss research on social media algorithms, territory and self-determination, AI in cancer care, and "the forever chemical."

Register here: bit.ly/4cBC4v1

Soyez des nôtres le 27 septembre, à Kingston, pour le Symposium de l’Est de l’Ontario, organisé par la SRC et l’Université Queen’s!

Venez entendre les conférenciers Merlyna Lim (Collège de la SRC), Parvin Mousavi (Collège de la SRC), Margaret Moore (MSRC) et Kerry Rowe (MSRC) présenter avec passion leurs recherches sur les algorithmes des médias sociaux, le territoire et l’autodétermination, l’IA et le traitement du cancer, et les produits chimiques dits « éternels ».

Inscrivez-vous ici : bit.ly/4dTcpPH

03/22/2024

Click https://newsroom.carleton.ca/story/data-science-at-carleton for a full story.

03/19/2024

"Data Science at Carleton: Researchers Use Big Data to Address Real-World Issues" featuring ALiGN Media Lab's Merlyna Lim, Mohamed Al Guindy, Jim Green, Majid Komeili, and Jennifer Schellinck.

As a national hub of data science, Carleton University is deeply engaged in data research, addressing real-world issues including social movements, accessibility, finance, human behavior, and health and wellness.