Communicating the Nation in Troubled Times: From the Brazilian June Journeys to Post-Brexit Britain

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In the last decade, a range of political, economic and technological upheavals -including Brexit, the 2008 financial crisis, the rise of Trump, and the proliferation of digital media- has made the terrain of mediated nationhood unstable, upsetting established channels and practices of communicating national belonging. Hence, a new research agenda for the study of mediated nationhood is required, which draws on a variety of methods and theories from communication and media studies, along with insights from nationalism studies and promotional cultures research. I begun development of that agenda during my PhD thesis, which focussed on media, nationhood and visibility in the context of the Brazilian uprising of 2013. The uprising put in question the efforts of the Brazilian government to communicate -throughout the hosting of the World Cup and the Olympic games- a modern, peaceful and market-friendly version of their nation.My doctoral work made a decisive intervention in the research field around mediated nationhood, throwing into sharp relief the profound transformation of mediated nationhood in a digital communication ecology, while acknowledging the continued influence of 'old' media and their adaptation to the affordances of digital technologies. My thesis demonstrated both the potential of digital media to disrupt existing power structures and establish new ways of representing the nation, along with the vulnerability of the media to continuing commercial pressures, political interferences and technological constrains. The excellence and originality of my analysis was demonstrated by the fact that I passed the viva with no corrections, having been examined by key authorities in the field -Professor Simon Cottle and Dr Liz Moor-, and that I have successfully produced high-quality publications from my research.Building on the findings of my doctoral work, I will use the ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop a research programme for the study of mediated nationhood in the current context. I will continue disseminating the findings of my work, but orient myself more decisively to broad international audiences in relevant fields to ensure the global resonance of my work. To this end, I will pursue three key routes to impact: 1. I will submit three articles to top journals in the field of media and communications, such as Media, Culture and Society, Communication Theory and the European Journal of Communication. These publications will give greater exposure to the main theoretical and empirical findings of my doctoral research among a global audience of scholars. 2. I will target key international conferences in the field of communication and media, such as those of the International Communication Association, the International Association for Media and Communication Research, and the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association. These conferences will be helpful to build networks through which I can develop more impact opportunities for my work. 3. I will deepen my engagement with non-academic audiences, developing pathways that will help me build non-academic impact, as well as discussing ideas that will feed into further research. Along with these routes to impact, I will develop a new research proposal that will look at the mediation of Britain at the time of Brexit. Whilst the proposed research will build upon the findings of my work about the communication of Brazil during the protests of June 2013, this new project will help me to implement and develop my ideas on media, nationhood and visibility beyond the specific case study of my doctoral work. During the course of the fellowship, I will conduct preliminary theoretical and empirical work, in order to test ideas and methodologies for a future project, and I will develop a funding application under either the Leverhulme postdoctoral fellowship scheme, the British Academy postdoctoral fellowships, or the ESRC New Investigator grants.