Dr Joanna Szostek
- Senior Lecturer (Politics)
telephone:
01413304682
email:
Joanna.Szostek@glasgow.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7230-894XBiography
I joined the University of Glasgow as lecturer in September 2018, and I am now a senior lecturer in Political Communication. I am also an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs.
My research focuses mainly on the media's role in relations between states. I am particularly interested in the projection and reception of strategic narratives, the challenge of autocracies exerting influence on democratic states via the media, and the development of media and civil society in weak or unconsolidated democracies.
I conduct most of my research in Ukraine and Russia. In 2015-2018 I led a project investigating the reception of competing political narratives among audiences in Ukraine. The project was funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship from the European Commission. It included an 18-month secondment to Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Ukraine and a five-month secondment to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. From 2019 to 2022 I led a research project investigating why levels of engagement with local, national and foreign/transnational media varied within and across ‘peripheral’ regions of Ukraine. The project was funded by the British Academy, and was designed to shed light on how media use among ‘peripheral’ audiences can affect state security, broadly defined.
My research is published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Perspectives on Politics, The International Journal of Press/Politics, New Media and Society, Post-Soviet Affairs and European Security. I have also given numerous interviews about Russia's war on Ukraine to national and international media, including BBC Newsnight, BBC Scotland, France 24 and The New York Times.
I hold a doctorate in Politics from the University of Oxford. My professional experience includes several years at the BBC and many years of living and working in Russia and Ukraine.
Research interests
- Political communication
- Strategic narratives
- Media as a (re)source of international influence
- Media and civil society in unconsolidated democracies
- Politics of Russia, Ukraine and the post-Soviet region
- Russian foreign policy
Grants
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (2015-2018, £186,585)
"STRATNARRA. Russia's strategic narrative of the West: A study of influence in Ukraine". - British Academy "The Humanities and Social Sciences Tackling the UK’s International Challenges Programme" (2019-2021, £48,688)
"Peripheral audiences and state security: A study of risks and benefits associated with media use among border populations in Ukraine"
Supervision
I will gladly consider supervising PhD research projects that relate to the following topics:
- Media and communication in international politics (including strategic narratives, public diplomacy)
- Media and civil society in authoritarian regimes and unconsolidated democracies
- Politics of Russia, Ukraine and the post-Soviet region
- Russian foreign policy
If you wish to apply to study for a PhD at Glasgow, with me as a supervisor, please send me the following information by email:
- Your PhD research proposal, prepared in line with UofG requirements (it should not exceed 1,500 words, excluding references)
- Your curriculum vitae (CV)
- Your transcript of records (showing the grades you achieved for your university courses)
- A brief statement explaining why you wish to study for a PhD and how you envisage funding your doctoral studies.
Please make sure that you carefully consider all the challenges of pursuing a PhD (and perhaps an academic career) before applying!
I am currently supervising the following PhD projects:
- Qingyue Zhang: The impact of Mekong transboundary water disputes on the bilateral relationship between China and Vietnam: A strategic narrative analysis (co-supervised with Dr Neil Munro).
- Varnava Tsiappas, Georgios
Strategic Narrative Dynamics in a Small State: Examining Cyprus's Evolution of State and Media Narratives about Russia in a Geopolitical Context (Working Title)
Teaching
Undergraduate
POLITIC4119: Politics and Social Media (convener, 2018-2019)
POLITIC4103: International Political Communication (convener, 2019-present)
POLITIC2002: Introduction to Comparative Politics (contributor, 2019-present)
Postgraduate
POLITIC5017: Internet and Civil Society (convener, 2018-present)
