Dr. Thomas Dekeyser

Biography

Thomas Dekeyser is a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Southampton. His research interests include Digital Geographies, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning, and Politics of Refusal. A cultural-digital geographer, Dekeyser's work examines how digital technologies influence negative affects and the politics of refusal, especially in the context of changing technological urban conditions. He draws on critical theory and pessimistic philosophies to explore resistance and power dynamics within geographical understandings of human experience. Methodologically, he incorporates Creative GeoHumanities methods, particularly through film, and has co-directed informative works like 'MACHINES FLAMES' (2022), an experimental documentary about French computer workers in the 1980s, and 'BREACHED' (2024), detailing modern cargo looting. His recent publications emphasize topics such as retail transparency, deep learning, and implications of AI on everyday life. Prior to joining the University of Southampton, he was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for GeoHumanities, Royal Holloway, and a Research Fellow in Geography at Aberystwyth University. Dekeyser holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Media Studies and Geography, and completed his PhD in Geography at the University of Southampton.

Research Interests

Experience