Ashley Gorham
Assistant Professor of Government
Ashley Gorham is a political theorist interested in the politics of technology, particularly as it relates to the internet. She has published articles on algorithms, hacktivism, and “big data” in leading journals, including Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory, the International Journal of Communication, and PS: Political Science and Politics. Her book Epic Fail: How Hacktivists Expose Democracy’s Flaws is forthcoming in Fall 2026. She earned her Ph.D. in political science at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019.
Recent Courses Taught
The Politics of Silicon Valley (with Phil Klinkner, Fall 2026)
The Politics of AI
The Theoretical Origins of Internet Policy
Who’s Afraid of Democracy?
Introduction to Political Theory
Research Interests
Hacktivism, the politics of platforms, artificial intelligence
Distinctions
Academic Awards
- Top Student Paper, “Algorithmic Interpellation,” co-author Rosie DuBrin, Philosophy, Theory & Critique Division, Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association (2019)
- School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Graduate Student, University of Pennsylvania (2015-2016)
- John D. Lewis Memorial Prize, Oberlin College (2008)
- Comfort Starr Prize, Oberlin College (2008)
Fellowships and Other Honors
- Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy Graduate Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania (2017-2018)
- Klemens von Klemperer Postdoctoral Fellowship, Bard College (Declined)
- Feirson Family Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2015-2016)
- President Gutmann Leadership Award, University of Pennsylvania (2014)
Select Publications
Books
- Epic Fail: How Hacktivists Expose Democracy’s Flaws (The MIT Press, Fall 2026)
Review
- “Ben Collier. Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2024).” Internet Histories: Digital Technology, Culture and Society 9, no. 3 (2025): 316-8. DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2025.2465006.
Interview
- “‘If It’s a Lie, It Must Be Important’: An Interview with Anne Norton on Identity, Property, and the Study of Politics.” With Samuel Garrett Zeitlin. Polity 58, no. 1 (2026). DOI: 10.1086/738437.
Articles
- “Algorithmic Interpellation.” With Rosie DuBrin. Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory 28, no. 2 (2021): 176-191. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8675.12568
- “Anonymous’s Glory.” International Journal of Communication 14 (2020): 3399-3417. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/10023
- “Big Data and Democracy: Facts and Values.” PS: Political Science and Politics 50, no. 4 (2017): 958-962. https://doi.org/10.1017/S104909651700107X
- “The Political Meaning of Hacktivism.” Limn 8 (2017): 25-27. https://limn.it/articles/the-political-meaning-of-hacktivism/
- “Does Information Want to be Free? Hacktivism and the Democratization of Information.” The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies and Development 1, no. 1 (2015). https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol1/iss1/7
- “Anonymous is ‘Serious Business.’” Hack_Curio, May 29, 2021. https://hackcur.io/anonymous-is-serious-business/
- “Want to Change Facebook? Don’t Delete Your Account—Use It for Good.” With Sandra González-Bailón. Quartz, April 4, 2018. https://qz.com/1244750/the-delete-facebook-movement-is-ultimately-self-defeating
College Service
- Director, Justice and Security Program, Levitt Center, Hamilton College (2023-2026)
- Member, Public Policy Committee, Hamilton College (2021-)
Professional Experience
- Discussant, Panel on “Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives on AI, Enhancement, and Transhumanism,” American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (2022)
- Discussant, Gabriella Coleman’s Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures, University of Rochester (2022)
- Discussant, William J. Mea’s “Artificial Intelligence and Hope Amidst Exponential Complexity,” The Levitt Center, Hamilton College (2021)
- Presenter, Author Meets Critics, Colin Koopman’s How We Became Our Data: A Genealogy of the Informational Person, American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (2020)
- Member, Media Activism Research Collective (MARC), University of Pennsylvania (2014- 2019)
- AALAC Workshop on Data Ethics, Pomona College (2017)
- “Hackademia: Empirical Studies in Computing Cultures,” Leuphana University (2016)
- “Commerce and Character,” Jack Miller Center Summer Institute (2016)
- Summer Doctoral Programme at the Oxford Internet Institute, The University of Oxford (2015)
Appointed to the Faculty
2021Educational Background
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
M.A., University of Pennsylvania
M.A., University of Maryland
B.A., Oberlin College
